Rag Doll
by Dumpling Dragon
Summary: An alternative ending of the first movie. Shifu didn't seem to be seriously injured after Tai Long had slammed him to the stairs by the Moon Pool. But what if he was? Sometimes the way to inner peace leads through extreme humiliation. (a story with pofu elements)
1. How it began

**(A.N.)When I was watching the fight scene between Tai and Shifu I wondered how it was possible that Shifu's body was harder than stone. This is how Like a Rag Doll appeared in my sick head. If you read my other stories, you will think that this story is a compilation of them. The truth is that this is the first tale written by me a few months ago. I deleted it, because it was too sad and I used many of the situations in my other stories. Now I've decided to publish this one because I still remember it very well and it doesn't let me sleep at night...**

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

"I don't want your apology... I want my scroll!" the snow leopard snarled, lifting the red panda up high. The small master squirmed, trying to free himself from the deadly grip on his throat.

"What?.." The feline's eyes widened. The Gold Dragon's jaws were empty.

Twenty years... Almost twenty years of rigorous trainings, another twenty years of living hell in that dark, damned cave in Chorh-Gom, a battle with numerous enemies and it was all for nothing! Shifu had even named him after the great dragons, he had told him the legend of the leopard Dragon Warrior, he knew his destiny! But this treachery.. it was outrageous, it was unbelievable, how could this old fool hide his Scroll from him?!

"WHERE IS IT?!" Tai Lung yelled enraged, slamming the red panda forcefully to the marble stairs.

Shifu heard a sickening _CRACK_ somewhere under his head and neck. He felt so strong pain that his vision dimmed, but he didn't care. It was obvious now that he would not survive the fight. Now the most important thing was to keep the feline away from the villagers and the Scroll.

"Dragon Warrior has taken the Scroll halfway across China by... now." he uttered with difficulty and Tai Lung's grip tightened around his neck.

_One moment..._

The feline's yellow eyes flashed ominously with burning hatred. Shifu found it impossible to lift his hands and try to defend himself, but he didn't wonder why exactly it was impossible. "You will never see that scroll, Tai Lung."

_Fine.._ The leopard thought.

The red panda heard a sound of claws being unsheathed.

_Just one more moment and it will be over._

"Never! N-never..." he whispered. He could feel only extreme fear, sadness and grief, thinking with bitterness of his own death: torn to pieces by his own son. By the same person that was once his.. kitty. Shifu almost felt the claws cutting his skin and ripping through his flesh, leaving unbelievably burning pain in him.

"Hey!"

Some familiar voice reverberated throughout the Hall of Warriors. It was the last thing Shifu heard before everything faded to black.

* * *

The only thing he could feel was a strange blockade, as if he were a part of the marble floor beneath him. He felt like a tiny creature lying in an endlessly huge, cold hall. And it was so quiet around... This moment seemed to be infinity to the small red panda.

_So, this is what I will have to bear through all eternity? Is Master Oogway suffering the same? Surely not... He was never such an overbearing idiot like I was._ _This is all I deserve._.. His thoughts were flowing through his head when he was drifting in the unpleasant darkness.

"Master!.."

The same familiar voice and fast steps resounded nearby.

_Po? No, it's impossible. _Shifu suddenly felt very sorry for his newest student. He had just started to like him and... this all happened. _Po was too good to be here, he...  
_

"Shifu!"_  
_

_oh no..._

The panda fell to his knees hastily by his master's side. Master Shifu lay on his back, with his hands still unmoving, and his head was in the middle of a large crack in the stairs leading to the Moon Pool. To Po it looked like if the red panda had fallen from the very Moon. The sight before his eyes gripped his heart, making his eyes shine with tears, no matter that he had known the red panda only for a few days. _He can't be still alive. Calm down, Po. He was ready, he knew..._

"Shifu, say something!" Po cried, tears in his eyes, as he lifted gently his master's head with his large paw.

Shifu finally managed to crack his eyes open with considerable effort. A soft growl escaped his mouth.

He saw some golden, black and white shapes looming before his eyes. It didn't make any sense to him. As his vision slowly cleared, he recognized Po's worried face emerging from the shapes and the same gold dragon as he had known from the ceiling in the Jade Palace.

"...Po..." he whispered weakly. "I'm sorry you had to die because of my mistakes." he confessed, overwhelmed with guilt. "I'm so sorry.."

Those words were a big load off Po's mind. Maybe not everything was lost if Shifu was still alive. "No, Master! We didn't die, I defeated Tai Lung!" the panda assured quietly with a hopeful smile. "We've defended them! The village is safe!"

"Really?.." The red panda asked, still dazed. After a short while when Po nodded, Shifu pondered over something.

Twenty years... It had been twenty years of constant fear that the Nightmare he had created would come back. And now it was over. Over. And it was such an empty feeling.. But now he was too tired to think of it now. _Maybe Tai Lung will find peace in death..._ He sighed after the last thought, but that sigh was anything but an expression of solace; something was... wrong.

"Everything will be OK, Master." Po smiled warmly through his tears. He grabbed his right paw to help him get to his feet, but Shifu's paw didn't return the grasp. "Let me help you stand up." He said and carefully pulled the red panda up off the floor, but Shifu's body didn't respond, remaining limply in his hands.

Shifu's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He remembered that he hadn't been able to defend himself against Tai's grip around his neck. "I... can't." he said unsurely, trying not to believe in what might have happened.

"I know you're exhausted Master, but a doctor should... see you.. now..." Po's smile slowly fell when he realised that the moisture beneath the red panda's neck was not his sweat but a stain of blood leaking lazily into the crack in the stairs below.

"No, that's not the point... I can't move." Shifu looked up into the panda's eyes in horror, before he could finally utter the next devastating words. "I can't feel anything."


	2. Rag Doll

**(A.N.) I couldn't find any verifiable info about the localization of the grandmaster's chambers. Judging by the Legends of Awesomeness, Shifu's room is located somewhere behind the Hall of Warriors, in the Palace, not in the barracks. I may be wrong, so please inform me if you know better.**

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

It had been two black weeks for the inhabitants of the Jade Palace, which had been visited by a crowd of doctors, medics and herbalists. They were of some help to treat Shifu's minor injuries and his bandages had been finally removed, but not even one medic could offer any help to bring back his ability to move.

Mantis chased away many crooks, who had tried to sell them some 'miraculous herbs' for horrendous prices. The best doctor from the Valley of Peace examined the red panda very carefully and warned the warriors honestly that Master Shifu would never be able to move even a finger and that he was 'very lucky' to keep the ability to breathe and talk after the spinal cord injury at such high level.

They couldn't tell their master what they had learned. They didn't even need to do that. He knew the truth and on that day when he dismissed the doctors, he demanded to be left alone. He didn't want any nurses, any servants, any strangers. Although his students' hearts were broken, they obeyed and let him stay in his room without any company.

* * *

It was late evening when the six warriors entered the kitchen, which had become their favourite place of meetings thanks to Po's cooking talent. They didn't say any word for a very long while, sitting at the table. They didn't know what to do from now on. Should they continue their normal life without Shifu? They couldn't help him, it was obvious. Bringing new doctors to the Jade Palace was pointless, it would only make him angry.

He was constantly either angry or depressed. He had thrown the servants and the Five out of his room whenever they had showed up there without a good reason. And at the same time... he needed their help with everything.

Viper was crying quietly and her tears were flowing down the green scales on her face, making a small pool on the tabletop. She sniffled loudly and said to herself. "Poor Master Shifu..."

"Oh, stop crying!" Monkey snapped at her when he lost his patience.

"Don't shout at her!" Mantis answered him in a similar tone, standing on the table.

"She's acting like he died!"

Crane and Tigress didn't say anything, they both were deep in their thoughts. Po was sitting at the same table, but he wasn't listening to the argue. His mind wandered to the moments just before he had entered the Hall. To what had happened somewhere on the middle of the Thousand Stairs. He realised something he had been trying to push away from himself. Now he knew that he had made a horrible mistake and this awareness scared him. He suddenly stood up before his mind could decide to do it. He walked up to the door, when someone stopped him.

"Where are you going, Po?" Tigress asked, turning her head to the panda.

Po looked at her, a bit surprised by the question. "I'll check on him."

The tiger shook her head. "It's pointless. He will just ask you to leave."

"We need to show him that he's still important to us. We have to help him go through it." Po explained. It was the only answer he could gave her now.

"And how are we supposed to do it, if he doesn't want to see us?" Monkey asked.

"I'll try." Po said quietly. "We need to try..." he repeated sadly and left the kitchen.

Crane, who had been sitting there without a word, said the only thing that had come to his mind. "We haven't repaired the stairs yet..."

Viper, Monkey and Mantis just looked at him disbelievingly. Tigress just put her paw on her face and sighed heavily. "That.. was the most stupid thing you could say now."

* * *

The red panda dressed in his brown robe, lay on the middle of his bed. His mind had a hard time trying to understand what his life would look like from now on. You could think that he was dead, when he was lying without any movement, staring at the ceiling, because only his chest was rising under his slow breath.

He wished his master could be there with him. Oogway would surely say something that would lift his spirits, even if only a little. He felt like a baby; little and helpless. A few days earlier, he had been the greatest kung fu teacher in China. Now he had to count on the others in every matter. His students had seen him naked, for he couldn't wash himself; it crushed his mind every time he thought of that. And he was sure that everyone who had known him as a warrior now saw him as a poor, useless creature. He couldn't eat or dress himself. He couldn't protect himself if someone tried to harm him. And even stand up.

And he could never change that.

Never.

_Never._

_Never..._

His thoughts stopped when someone knocked on his door. Po stepped into the room.

"Master Shifu? Is everything al.. um.. Do you need anything?" he asked awkwardly.

"No.."

The answer was quiet, weak and full of sadness in the small panda's voice.

"I'll come back in a few hours and ask again, OK?"

Shifu was thinking something out very intensely. His students were good, respectful and obedient, but he knew that there were things they would never do, even for him. Especially for him. But Po was different. He almost didn't know him, he was like a stranger to him, they had trained together for only a couple of days. Maybe he could...

"Wait." the red panda said when Po was about to leave, not hearing any answer from the master.

Po entered the room again.

"Open my wardrobe and find my green robe with a gold clasp." Shifu said blankly.

Po opened the big wooden wardrobe in the corner of the room and after a short while he was holding the green robe in his hands.

"Awesome. Where did you buy it?" he commented.

"You can't buy such robes. Only grand masters can wear it. Master Oogway gave me this robe last year as a birthday gift. I thought it was a sad joke..."

Shifu said the truth; he had known that Master Oogway was very old, but in the other hand, he had never expected to outlive him. He had known him almost his entire life. Why would a thousand-year-old turtle die just before his last student? "Dress me in it."

Po knelt down beside the bed and lifted the red panda carefully. He rested his back against his chest and put the robe on Shifu's left shoulder. He pulled his left arm through the sleeve. "I'm not sure if I'm doing this right. There's only one sleeve."

"Just leave my right arm uncovered."

Po did so and did the clasp. He could finally lay the red panda back on the bed and smoothed the green fabric. "You look great." he said honestly.

The red panda ignored that naive comfort. "Now go to the Hall of Warriors and bring me the Sword of Heroes."

Po was surprised by the strange request. "What for?.."

Shifu let out a small sigh. "Just do what you're told, Panda."

"Yes, Master." Po said and bowed to the red panda, altough he wasn't sure if he should do that and left the room obediently.

Shifu's heart was breaking when he was lying in his room alone in his 'awesome' green robe, but he knew that he was doing the only right thing. His students would be grateful afterwards. He knew it for sure.

Po finally returned with the legendary weapon, holding the sword very carefully, not to cut himself. "What now?" he asked, approaching his master.

"Stab me."

"What?!" Po cried in horror, dropping the sword. He recoiled in the last second before the deadly blade touched the floor where he had just stood.

"You heard me." Shifu stated firmly.

Po looked at the red panda shocked, feeling some strange, unpleasant substance entering his veins. He leaned down to pick up the weapon. Shifu shut his eyes tight, but then he heard a loud metallic sound when the panda threw the weapon against the wall in front of the bed. The sword dropped on the floor again.

"How could you ask me for it?" The panda asked quietly, staring at the sword lying on the floor.

"Oh, please. You killed my son, you can kill me as well." he heard in the answer.

That was the hardest slap Po could ever imagine. He could feel it on his face so clearly that it made his eyes shine, although no one had touched him. "You cruel monster..." he whispered and faced the red panda. "Don't you dare use this argument against me.." He was glad that Shifu couldn't see his tears threatening to become visible. "You know why I did that. You know that I had to do that. How can you be so selfish?.."

"_You _are all selfish! You all care only about your clear conscience! If you really cared about _me_, I wouldn't have to endure this humiliating condition!"

Po walked up the bed again and grabbed the red panda forcefully by his arms. "Every one of your students would give their life to heal you.. I'd do it right now if only it could help you!.. Why can't you see how important you are to us all?!"

"And why can't _you _see that I'm suffering?! I'm asking you for mercy, don't you understand?!" Shifu admitted finally. He had never thought that he would have to beg for death after all those years he had lived, after all those fights he had won.

"Maybe I'm just a stupid villager, but no, I don't understand! Your students love you, we would do anything for you, anything!" Po shouted, shaking the red panda. "Because we cannot imagine our life without you!"

Shifu closed his eyes tightly.

"...so never ask me for _such_ things, because I am not a murderer! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Shifu didn't answer, only sniffled shakily with his eyes still closed. That scared Po, who suddenly stopped shouting. "Master?.. Are you in pain?"

"Ggghme-epo." Shifu mumbled in a faltering voice.

"What?.."

Shifu struggled for a moment to catch a breath, but it was hard.

"Hug.. me.. Po!" the red panda repeated and opened his eyes brimming with tears. "Please!"

Po quickly knelt down by the bed and lifted the small master instantly, his heart almost broke when the red panda's hands and head hung limply. He held his head carefully and rested Shifu against his chest so he could cry comfortably. The small panda broke down completely and soon Po felt his tears drenching his fur. He could only imagine how humiliating begging for a hug must have been for him.

"I can't.. I can't live like this.." Shifu sobbed out. "..like an awful rag doll." he cried and sniffled again. "...it would be better.. if I were dead..."

Po could almost feel the red panda's pain leaking through his skin along with his tears.

Someone cracked the door open and Po saw Monkey's and Viper's heads peeking into the room worriedly. The Five must have heard the noises of the falling sword and perhaps their shouts. He gave them a discreet signal to leave them and they quickly closed the door. He hoped that Shifu didn't hear them and that he felt his hand stroking the back of his head.

"You're not a rag doll, Shifu." Po stated quietly, shedding tears. "You're just an immobilized red panda of great wisdom and knowledge."

The master didn't answer, bursting into tears again, not even trying to be quiet. Po left a small kiss on his head before he thought that it might be improper. Shifu didn't seem to mind, though.. or simply didn't feel that.

"And you're not awful..." Po assured honestly, wiping his tears away. "You have a beautiful fluffy tail.. lovely big ears.. and cute whiskers."

Shifu's lips smiled for half a second through the tears. He sniffled again thinking of his illness, he didn't want to die, or maybe he wanted, he wasn't sure... but he certainly didn't want to live like that and his mind was screaming from helplessness.

Po stayed in the room for many hours, hugging his master, stroking his back and head and kneeling in the same uncomfortable position beside the bed. The small panda fell asleep, crying into Po's chest.

They didn't want to let each other go away.


	3. Sweet Breakfast

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Po was sure that Shifu was in a deep sleep. It was still very early at dawn, but the sun had just started to rise. Po laid the red panda down in the bed comfortably, trying not to wake him up. Shifu had still his dried tears on his face. It was warm, Po didn't cover him with his blanket. The panda sat down back on the floor. His knees and calves were sore from kneeling for so many hours in the same position, but he didn't regret it, he would never regret anything what could only make Shifu feel better.

As he finally got up, he saw the Sword of Heroes in the same place it had landed yesterday. Po put his foot on the floor and heard a quiet _crrreeeak _under it. He tried to walk up to the weapon slowly, not to make the wooden floor squeak under his heavy body. It didn't work. Of course. Hoping that Shifu was still asleep, he picked the weapon up carefully and left the room, closing the door as quietly as he could.

He entered the terrace. The morning air was still cool, yet the dawn was beautiful. The Palace itself was beautiful anytime day or night. Po couldn't help but gaze at the mountains still mantled with mist. _If only the circumstances were better..._ he thought and sighed, hanging his head in sadness and making his way towards the Hall of Warriors.

The servants presumably were still asleep, for there was no one in the Hall of Warriors. That huge room was quiet and full of stone surfaces in green calming colours. Po walked up to the opposite wall, not looking at the crack in the stairs by the Moon Pool. He put the weapon back on its stand. When the sword had been laid down safely, he glanced at the green dragon glittering mysteriously on the blade once again.

"Ouch!.." although he hadn't touched the sword, Po felt a sudden pain in his finger and put it instinctively into his mouth. He put his finger out; there was a tiny cut on his fingertip.

_And he wanted me to run him through with it..._ he thought sadly and walked away towards the big door.

* * *

Shifu was surely very hungry, he hadn't eaten almost anything yesterday. Upon entering the kitchen, Po started to wonder what he should make for breakfast for him. Shifu was feeling awfully embittered. Po remembered that years earlier, when he had been sad, dad used to make rice with fruits and honey for him. It was very sweet, maybe too sweet, but what could he think up for a downcast red panda?

He looked around the kitchen and saw a bag of rice.

"Po? What happened yesterday?" Mantis asked, hopping onto the table after entering the kitchen.

Po sighed. _Seriously, does everyone at this Palace wake up so early?_ Of course Monkey and Viper had to tell the rest about Shifu's crisis.

"Um.. a little mental breakdown.. you know.. I'm trying to lift Shifu's spirits." Po answered, pouring some water into a pot.

"Good morning." Tigress said glumly, appearing suddenly in the room, she looked sleepy, as if she hadn't sleep at night too. And it might be true, since Shifu was... indisposed, she was the one to substitute for him. She surely had many things to worry about now. Training the Dragon Warrior, for example. "What are you doing?" she asked, seeing water spilling out of the pot the panda had put on the countertop.

Po poured out half of the water back into the water jug, his tiredness started to annoy him. When he finally put the pot on the fire on the stove, she asked again. "We heard some... disturbing noises coming from Shifu's room last night."

The panda wasn't sure what to tell them. He hadn't thought of it earlier. "What noises?" he asked.

Tigress got really irritated. "Po, you were shouting at him! Although I don't know how you managed to stay there for so long and not being asked to leave."

"I know, I know, we were talking a bit too loud. But it appears that he needed that." he explained.

"Uh-huh.." the feline began suspiciously, sitting down at the table. "And what was that metal noise? Something fell on the floor."

"I knocked something over, nothing important, really." Po lied. Talking about what happened between Master Shifu and him and calling it 'nothing important' was very strange to Po, but for some reasons he thought that it would be better not to tell them about the red panda's request.

"Two times?.."

Po smiled sheepishly. "You know how clumsy I can be..."

Tigress didn't believe him at all, but she decided to leave that subject for now.

After a moment the water started to boil, Po poured some rice into the pot. "Do we have some fruits? I'm fixing something delicious for him." he asked to change the subject.

"Wait.." Tigress opened one of the cupboard located in the coldest and darkest corner of the kitchen. "Master Shifu always wanted us to eat various fruits.." she recalled nostalgically.

"Ehm.. actually he _wants_..." Mantis corrected, but then it came to his mind that Shifu had been treating them rather cold lately. _I hope he wants..._

".. so the servants buy fruits almost every day. Here you go." Tigress finished, handing Po a bowl of forest fruits.

Soon, the rice was ready and Po took a bowl from the cupboard above the stove, but Tigress put her paw on his.

"Take this one." she said, giving him a smaller bowl. "He never eats too much."

"Thanks." Po took the dish and poured some rice, aromatic raspberries, wild strawberries, blueberries and blackberries into the bowl.

"But still... he did talk to you." Tigress returned to the previous subject. "It's a huge change, Po."

The panda stared at the bowl full of rice and fruits for a moment. "I don't know.." he whispered.

"Po." Mantis began, jumping onto the counter. "Could you do something that would make Shifu talk to us too? I know that he doesn't like us too much.. Actually, he speaks to us like to his friends only when he thinks that we are dying or that he is dying, but still.. We want to change it. This situation is killing us. Especially Viper is broken."

"I'm doing my best." Po assured, although he had no idea what he should do.

Mantis sighed.

"I need some honey." the panda said, looking around.

Mantis pushed one of the jars standing on the counter towards the panda. "Acacia honey."

Po smiled sadly and poured some honey to the bowl. His tiredness was getting worse and he was sure that he had forgotten about something. The sword? No.. he had put it back on the stand. He took two chopsticks and was ready to go. "Sorry, you need to make breakfast yourself. I want to feed Master Shifu today."

"No problem, Po. We often made breakfasts before you joined the Jade Palace." Tigress commented, but Po was too lost in thoughts to understand her sarcasm.

* * *

Po opened quietly Shifu's door to check if he was still asleep. The red panda was lying in the same place with his eyes open, his expression completely indifferent.

"Good morning, Master." Po said, approaching the bed with the bowl in his paws.

Shifu didn't answer. The only sign that made Po sure that his master was still alive was Shifu's almost invisible breath and blinking from time to time. Po looked at him worriedly and put the bowl on the night table. He allowed himself to sit down on the edge of the bed and lifted Shifu's back carefully to put some pillows under his head, so that he could eat something.

"I thought that you might be very hungry." he said after he had rested Shifu comfortably against the pile of his soft pillows. The red panda didn't answer, staring blankly at the wall, but Po pretended that it wasn't a problem. "I've prepared something very delicious for you." Po continued, trying not to show his downheartedness. The red panda didn't react and Po started to wonder if he should call his doctor. He didn't know his master very well, but he had never seen him being like that.

Po took the bowl and chopsticks and picked out a small amount of rice with some berries. He carefully put the sweet food into the red panda's mouth. Shifu took the rice, chewing it very slowly, more slowly than he could. When he swallowed, Po picked out another small portion of the sweet rice and gave it to Shifu again. The red panda was eating slowly, staring blankly everywhere but at the panda, he didn't even look like he noticed the sweet taste of the honey and the fruits. Po had never seen anyone so depressed and and he started to doubt if disobeying Shifu last evening had been the right thing.

But Shifu's mind was crushed so much that he couldn't even think clearly. He had abandoned his dignity last night, he still felt extremly abashed by his own behaviour and he had no idea what to do with his useless existence now. He didn't want to kick the panda out of his room, although thinking of the reason of his compliance was making him feel sick. Actually, everything was making him feel sick now.

Po slipped the last portion of the rice into Shifu's mouth and put the bowl back onto the night table. He tried to take the cup of tea, when he suddenly remembered what he had forgotten. "I forgot your tea. Wait a minute, I'll brew it." he said to the red panda, getting up.

Suddenly, Shifu looked at him, his stare completely vacant. "Thank you." he said quietly.

Po was so surprised that he could only ask. "For what?"

"For everything."

Po smiled widely despite his tiredness. "Anything for you, Master." he assured hopefully. He didn't want to tire the red panda with an unnecessary talk, so he just took the bowl and left the room to brew the tea.

* * *

When Po returned to the kitchen, Crane, Monkey and Viper were there too, everyone eating breakfast, they had taken the rest of the rice.

"Hi." Po greeted the warriors sleepily, walking up to the stove to start prepare some tea for Shifu.

The warriors who hadn't talked with him earlier that day didn't look surprised by his reticence. Apparently, Tigress and Mantis had told them about Shifu's bad mood.

"Hi..." Crane answered.

"So what should we do today?" Monkey asked Tigress. "Po, sorry, I've taken your rice, you can eat my cookies if you want." he added, remembering what he was eating now.

"It's OK, I'm not hungry." the panda answered, throwing some black tea leaves into one of the cups and pouring some hot water into it.

"Sorry, but I have another.. 'stupid thing' to say." Crane began, looking at Tigress. "Are we supposed to train today? I mean.. we should, but I can't imagine to leave our master in his room alone, especially now."

"Crane is right." Viper agreed, staring sadly into her plate with tofu. "Someone needs to stay with Master Shifu.. but he doesn't want to see the servants. And us."

"Don't worry about that." Po said, taking the cup. "I'm going to stay with him today."

"Po." Tigress spoke finally, rubbing her eyes a little annoyed. "You're falling asleep standing up, you should go to your room and get some rest. And no, Crane, we won't be training today. Not until we find out how to deal with this... situation."

"It's really not a problem.." Po replied, but he didn't want to argue now. "Well, I'll bring him his tea.. and try to convince him to talk to you."

"That would be awesome." Mantis remarked. "I don't know why Shifu wants to talk only with you, but if you.. understand each other somehow.. you should try."

* * *

When Po was approaching the door leading to the Grand Master's bedroom, he remembered that he hadn't ask Shifu what tea he would like to drink. There were black, green and white teas in the kitchen, but he didn't even know what tea Shifu liked the most. Well, he would ask him eventually.

"I didn't know what tea you liked, so I've brought some bl..." Po began, entering the room again, but his voice trailed away, when he saw the red panda sitting in the bed with his head hung on his chest, not showing any sign of life.

_No._

Po's fingers lessened the grasp around the cup and he dropped the hot drink on the floor.

_Noo!_

He ran up to the bed, ignoring the hot stain of the tea under his feet, feeling only pure horror burning in his veins. He fell to his knees by the bed and lifted the small panda's head a little too quickly.

Shifu's eyes opened instantly, he could take a deeper breath at last and he looked really startled, gazing helplessly at the panda. "I was meditating.. but my head fell and.. I couldn't.." he explained, but he wasn't sure if Po was listening to him.

Po was staring at the red panda's face for a long moment and eventually, he pulled him into an embrace, sighing in relief. "I thought you were..." he began and took a few deeper breaths, letting his tears disappear in his eyelids. "Your 'thank you' was like a farewell..." he said, hugging the red panda like the night before, letting his warm, soft ears touch his nose.

Yet another moment, a horrible moment when he believed that Shifu had died so suddenly, so simply and with no one by his side.

Shifu remained in his hug, looking at the black fur on Po's neck, he couldn't escape anyway. It was all so strange to him. Why would anyone want such a burden like him to be still alive? He couldn't understand it.

That was the day when Po decided that he would never leave Shifu.


	4. Humiliation

**A rather angsty chapter.**

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

It was still dark and Tigress was lying on her bedroll in her room. She hadn't managed to fall asleep again, worrying about the future of the Palace. She didn't know how many hours had passed since she had laid down in her clothes late at night. And she still couldn't get used to that new situation.

_What should I do as the leader of the Five?..._

_Should I start to treat them and Po like my students?_

_I can't demand some special respect after being one of the Five for so many years..._

She turned on her side.

_Should I take over the duties of the Grand Master?.._

_Is Shifu expecting it from me?.._

_I don't want him to think that I just waited to take his title after being denied the Dragon Scroll._

_But they still need someone to lead them.._

_Shifu doesn't care about the Jade Palace anymore..._

_Not that it's surprising... but we can't slack off for too long._

_Something has ended..._

_I'll never see him waiting in the corridor for us._

The feline couldn't imagine the hell the red panda was going through; to be imprisoned in his own body and to need someone's special care continually. She tried not to cry but it was very difficult when she realised the situation better.

_What if he doesn't intend to return to his duties in any way?.._

_He surely wants to die._

Tigress closed her eyes, remembering everything she had seen in the red panda's face lately. And she remembered only that agony she couldn't ease to help him no matter what she did. She was certain - he didn't want to live anymore.

_And maybe it would be better for him..._

_...to be dead..._

She hadn't heard the rest of the Five wake up and go into the corridor; the gong hadn't rung even once since that fight and its consequences. She had told the servants not to use the gong for some time because she didn't want to make Shifu feel that his absence didn't matter.

Someone knocked quietly on her door.

"Tigress?" Monkey's voice came from behind the door. "Are you asleep?"

She opened her eyes. It was too late to fall asleep, even if she wasn't planning to train that day. "I'm getting up!"******  
**

* * *

This moment had to occur someday and Shifu, although he had accepted the fact that Po would be caring for him from now on, was still scared to death by the vision of him being treated like a baby and _exactly _like a baby.

Everytime he thought of taking a bath he remembered why he had wanted to die and why his death wouldn't be so bad idea. Until now, Tigress had bathed him every time, with some help from one of the other warriors. She had been caring for his hygiene since the fight until Po had offered to take responsibility for tending Master Shifu.

The red panda accepted the change gratefully, because being bathed by Tigress or worse- by someone else from the Five was too brain-killing and mind-crushing to him. Not that they were unfriendly, of course they always tried to show him maximum kindness and respect, but it all was just impossible to Shifu. They had known him for too long as an independent person. He didn't want the servants to see him being like that too. He wasn't sure what was worse- being washed and fed by the geese or his own students. He wondered if they even still considered him their master. Did they have any reason to think about him like that? Viper's extreme protectiveness was yet another reason for Shifu to ponder on begging for death. He was certain that one day, Viper would become an amazing mother, but her sweetness was too much than Shifu could stand.

But with Po everything was a bit different. For some reasons, Shifu wasn't so much tensed up in his presence. Maybe it was caused by the panda's unbelievable understanding, maybe because he was almost a stranger to Shifu and furthermore, he was a male. And maybe it was because.. he had found him first in this miserable condition after that fight.

* * *

Po pushed the door leading to the Grand Master's room with his back. When he turned around, Shifu saw a wooden basin full of water in his hands. The panda quickly put the vessel down on the floor nearby Shifu's desk and started to pant heavily.

"It's very heavy." he explained to fill the awkward silence between them.

Shifu didn't say anything. This stubborn silence always caught him when the worst was approaching. He preferred to avoid conversations before taking a bath to be left alone faster afterwards. Po had prepared a big, white towel and a small bathrobe found in Shifu's cabinet in the bathhouse. He had also got a clean diaper and when the red panda saw Po laying it on the desk, Shifu's eyes closed tightly as his mind started to beg every god and goddess in the universe for instant death.

And of course, no one was available in that moment.

Po finally approached the bed and spoke to the red panda. "OK, let me help you take off this dia-"

"Please, Po! Don't use that word in my presence!" Shifu pleaded, wincing at the hated word.

The giant panda picked up the master, surprised slightly by his particularly long utterance. "It's a good idea, Master." he said with a smile, sitting the red panda down on the desk.

Shifu fell into a terrible stupor again when Po took everything off him and was doing what was necessary and what Shifu really, really didn't want to see or hear. Po was glancing at the red panda's expression from time to time and although he tried not to show it, his own heart was breaking, bleeding and screaming as he saw the look of utter suffering in the small panda's eyes. He put him into the wooden basin as soon as he could.

Shifu was sitting in the water, waiting for the end of the torture, while Po was soaping him, turning him over and changing his position in the water to wash him properly and suddenly something strange came to the red panda's mind: Po reminded him of his master somehow. It was surprising even to Shifu, because how could an... unusual young panda have anything in common with his old wise turtle master? It was definitely something more than those green eyes. Some mysterious, inborn wisdom Po was still not aware of and the same energy emanating from them.

Shifu's mind could finally rest when his thoughts were wandering freely to his master, to the Wudang Mountains, to stars, and to the Jade Mountain itself and he didn't even know how many times Po had rinsed the soap off his body.

And suddenly, Po picked the soaked red panda up again and sat him down on the big soft towel on the desk. As he was drying him with the towel, the red panda saddened again and waited for the end of the bath or better- for anything that could end his hopeless existence. But even if he died right now it would be too late, for he had already managed to experience the worst humiliation in his entire life. And to think that he had been sure that one day he would die in some battle or a fight.

What a disappointment.

He wanted to cry.

Po didn't need to talk to the red panda or to ask him any questions. Shifu's thoughts were very visible and the hopelessness and suffering on his face was making Po feel like he was torturing him with every second of letting him live.

_There must be something I can do to make him feel better._ Po thought, trying to keep his composure and drying the red fur when Shifu was lost in his own bitter thoughts again. _Death cannot be the only way out for him._

Finally, he dressed Shifu in his small bathrobe and laid him down on his bed, letting him rest for a moment without the _thing _he hated so much. Po sat down on the floor and rested his chin against the edge of the bed to take a short break too.

Shifu was lying on his left side and he wanted only to cry, sleep or stare at the wall. Then his mind found one of the most painful memories from his life.

* * *

_He was lying in his bed like a little porcelain doll with his empty blue eyes staring at the ceiling above his bedroom._

_He didn't want to get up; there was no reason to do it. Even if he wanted, he couldn't anyway. He lay and stared up into the space, regretting that he wasn't dead. And he had to spend a few next months in the same bed in his room, staring at the same ceiling and feeling the same horrible pain radiating in his body from his broken hip. But he deserved that pain and could only cry and suffer silently. He couldn't forget what had just happened, he knew he would never forget Tai's attack, how he had broken his bones without any hesitation, and everything what he had done in the village._

_"He tried to kill me like I was nothing to him..."_

_"He killed those people as if he were an ordinary murderer."_

_"How was that possible?"_

_Shifu was sure that Master Oogway hated him now and if it weren't for his broken hip, he would just kick him out of the Jade Palace and forbid him to return.  
_

_Oogway had to fix somehow everything his son had done in the village, he had to send him somewhere and make sure that he would never see the Valley and also that no one would ever see him.  
_

_The rest of his life his son would have to spend now in some prison.  
_

_"And it's all my fault..."  
_

_He cried and regretted everything.  
_

_But he didn't know that Master Oogway's thoughts and feelings were exactly the same; Shifu had every right to hate him now._

* * *

_He tried to kill me twice... so maybe he never loved me..._

_...maybe I never taught him how to love._

Shifu was tired of thinking of his life and his mistakes again and again, he started to wonder if he had ever done anything good. He sighed, trying to forget about everything, the only thing he wanted now was to clear his mind completely.

"I don't understand..." he heard Po's voice, which drew his thoughts back from the past to the present. "Your tail is always so fluffy, but now, although it's dry, the fur is so.. crumpled."

Because Shifu remained silent, Po looked at the red panda's face and saw a slight blush on his face. He didn't understand why he was blushing, but something was clearly abashing him about the whole subject.

"I.. used to brush it after every bath." the small panda replied.

Po couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked at the red panda with wide eyes. He almost exploded with laughter, stopping himself from it in the last second and crushed his lips together to hide his smile. He had a really vivid imagination, but he could never, ever imagine a grand master brushing his tail. Fortunately, by some miracle Shifu didn't notice his reaction.

"OK. So.. where is your brush?" Po asked in a normal tone.

"In the first drawer on the left." Shifu answered, pointing at the drawer. He really felt that his finger was pointing, but when he looked at his hand, he saw that the hand was lying limply beside him.

That sight really hurt.

Po found the small hairbrush, he turned the red panda over on the bed and picked up his tail. He ran the brush through the soft long fur a couple of times and soon Shifu's striped tail looked as fluffy as always. He helped him to put on the _damned thing _as quickly as he could not to depress him more.

"Would you like something to eat?" Po asked, as he started to gather the things he had brought to prepare the bath.

"No.. I just want to rest." Shifu answered, trying to fall asleep, hoping that he would never wake up again.

Po looked at him heartbroken. He wanted so much to find some way to lift his spirits. He knew that there had to be something he could do for him. But what? He was about to leave, when he heard Shifu's quiet words.

"It's only the matter of time..."

Po walked up to him again, putting the things on the bed.

"...before I die."

The panda sat down on the floor and grabbed Shifu's paw, he didn't even remember that Shifu couldn't feel it.

"Don't say that."

"Po, I'm dying and you cannot change it."

"I can cook you whatever you want, I can wash you everyday, why would you die?" Po assured desperately.

"It's not the matter of food, or even those horrible baths." Shifu explained, a bit exasperated. "I'll die soon of pneumonia or a blood clot."

Po didn't look like he actually understood. _Why? It's quite warm in his room and his blood cannot just dry._ he wondered in his thoughts.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Shifu sighed and his ears fell flat on his head. _Why am I even concerned?_

The panda wasn't sure what he should do or say, so he just embraced the small master. "You won't die." Po assured. He had always believed that one honest hug could change everything. He only hoped that his hugs would not anger Shifu even more.

"Why is everyone acting like it all was normal?" the small panda asked with bitterness in the embrace. "Don't they know what happened to me?"

"I know what happened to you." Po assured, stroking the small panda's arm comfortingly. "And it's not normal." _But I promise, I'll do everything to make your life happy_.

Shifu was surprised how calming those simple words were. He didn't want to say anything because it could only destroy that weak sense of calm he needed so much.

Soon, Po gathered the things they didn't need after covering the red panda with a light blanket and he left the room lost deep in his thoughts.


	5. Soul of a warrior

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

A few days later, Po and the Five sat in the courtyard in front of the Training Hall. They hadn't returned to their training; no one was in the mood to spar. It was a quite sunny afternoon, but the warriors didn't see that day as a beautiful one. Po had just left the Grand Master's chambers.

"So what are we going to do?" Monkey asked probably for the 20th time.

His questions started to annoy Po, who thought that the monkey was the one who would let Shifu die most eagerly.

Crane asked indifferently. "And you're asking about this day or about the rest of our life?"

Tigress was deep in her thoughts. Her serious face wasn't showing any sign that she even heard their conversation. Mantis just sat there in the sunlight and stared into the cobblestone surface of the courtyard.

"Oh, and you were so annoyed by my crying!" Viper snapped at Monkey, her abrupt outburst surprised the male.

She slithered up in front of her friends to explain them something. "He needs some time! Just try to understand him. How would you feel if you were paralysed and everyone wanted to see you in such a condition? We need to be patient."

Suddenly the warriors got to their feet, surprised looks on their faces and bowed respectfully. Po looked surprised too, but seeing the warriors' reaction, he stood up and bowed too. An expression of confusion appeared on the snake's small green face. "What?.."

Someone entered the courtyard. Po didn't understand what was happening. Was the strange visitor another healer? But they never bowed to those healers who had visited the Jade Palace. Viper finally turned around and saw the guest.

"Dad!" she exclaimed joyfully and slithered up to the old snake to hug him.

Po was sure he had misheard her. _Her dad?_ The golden-brown snake with green eyes, spiky eyebrows and long whiskers, who had just appeared in front of them, looked more like an old cunning devil scheming constantly how to kill someone.

The old snake returned his daughter's hug and smiled. He bowed to the warriors afterwards. "I got here as fast as I could after learning about Master Oogway's passing. I'm so sorry, children..." he said and when he said that, Po didn't see anything devilish in that snake anymore. Besides, if Viper loved him so much and the rest of the Five respected him too, they surely had some reasons.

"So it's true... a panda has become the Dragon Warrior." Viper's father said, looking at Po. The panda looked tense when he heard that title. He didn't know what to say, but fortunately, Viper spoke.

"Did you come here alone?"

"Do I need the company of my whole Palace? No one would attack an old viper master." He blinked at his daughter.

She had so many questions about their family that she didn't know where to start and then her father touched the worst topic, while looking around. "And where is Master Shifu?.."

The sadness on the warriors' faces scared him to the spine, because no one of them had answered. "Is he...?"

"No!" Tigress assured loudly, showing more desperation than it was necessary.

Viper sighed sadly as her mind returned to the bitter reality. "We need to tell you something..."

* * *

After a very long moment, which everyone had spent in Viper's room in the barracks, when the Five told the Great Master everything about Master Oogway's and Tai Lung's death and of course about Master Shifu's current condition, the old snake nodded his head in sorrow.

"I see..." he said when the tragic news sank in. "But he won't shoo me away." he assured, lifting his head with a spark of some cunning hope in his emerald eyes. "Maybe I'll manage to convince him to open up once again.."

"May I show you the way to his chambers?" Po asked instantly, when the snake master was about to exit the room.

"Well, it would be nice, Dragon Warrior." Viper's father answered, walking down the corridor along with the panda.

It had been just about an hour since Po had met Great Master Viper, but he started to like him. There was nothing devilish under the brown and honey scales, nothing but a soul of a loving, warm father and good warrior. They left the barracks and made their way towards the main arena. Po had heard of Great Master Viper before, but he hadn't thought that THE Master Viper was Viper's father. Now everything about his female snake friend made sense to him. Her talent, of course, but also her compassion and perseverance.

"Viper has never told me anything about you before." Po began. "It's an honor to meet you, Master."

"Likewise." the snake answered. "You've had a lot on your mind lately, Master Po, it would be rather hard to Viper to tell you about her old father now."

There was something wrong about the elder serpent. Po knew that Master Viper had been noted for his famous Poison Fang Technique. But as he was looking at the snake's jaws, he couldn't see any fangs. _Maybe he can retract them somehow._

The snake noticed Po's curious stare. "No, I don't have my fangs anymore." he said with a smile, guessing Po's thoughts, as they entered the vast arena.

"I'm sorry, Master Viper. I was just being curious..." Po explained, blushing. "Wait, what?! How is that possible?!" But then he realised that Viper's father was old and he might have lost his teeth due to his age. "I'm sorry again!" he added, blushing even more.

"You don't have to. This is one of the best things that happened in my life."

Po was surprised. _Losing his invaluable fangs was something good? How?_ "I don't really understand."

"Hmm.." the elder master began. "Sometimes losing something precious can be a valuable experience, Master Po." he wondered if he should tell Po something very private, but as a creature endowed with mystical wisdom hidden behind his shrewd eyes, he felt that he could trust the panda. Something told him that he would make good use of his confidence. "When Viper was born and I learned that she's a girl, furthermore, a fangless girl.. it was a catastrophe to me because I had waited for a worthy successor. I never treated her without respect, such a behavior would be unacceptable, but I was getting older and my thoughts were like 'I have a useless daughter.'" he finished for a moment, as they walked by some servants, the geese bowed to them surprised by such a sudden appearance of the old master.

_Viper? Useless? _It was so unbelievable to Po.

"...I'm still ashamed of my feelings I had those days." the snake continued, climbing up the stairs leading to the Palace. "Then I lost my own fangs in some fight and I suddenly became someone like Viper. It brought us together. You have no idea how much my mishap helped us. But it's only a short story. Maybe she will tell you the rest someday."

Po was deep in his thoughts, as they cornered the Palace and entered the terrace leading to Shifu's quarters.

_How can a mishap help?_ he wondered.

Then they reached the door leading to Shifu's bedroom.

"Cross your fingers." Master Viper whispered.

Po nodded in surprise and knocked on the door. "Master Shiiifuuu!" he slipped his head into the room. "You have a visitor." he said with a smile.

The red panda, who was dressed in his brown robe and lying in his bed, rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh, Gods... who's this time?"

"Just and old friend." the snake slithered into the room without so much as asking his permission.

Po left the room and buried his face in his paws after closing the door. Shifu's reactions had been depressing him lately.

* * *

The snake slithered up towards the bed. "Grand Master Shifu." he said, bowing to the red panda.

Shifu was so surprised that he couldn't even say anything in the first seconds. "Master Viper... forgive me, I cannot return the bow."

"I know. And I know of Master Oogway's death." he heaved a sigh. "I'm very sorry. But I feel more sorry for your students.." the snake said honestly.

Shifu furrowed his eyebrows in exasperation. "They would have easier life if they let me die as I want."

"I'm not talking about _that_. It seems that they really don't want to let you leave them. If you were alone, everything would be very simple. But they love you, they would do anything for you..."

"Po said exactly the same." Shifu cut in, irritated by the sermon. "My life is now worthless and don't contradict it, do you know what it is like to not have hands or legs?"

Master Viper sent Shifu an impudent thin-lipped smile. "I think I know."

Shifu rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. But you cannot compare your situation to mine."

"Of course, I'm not even trying." Master Viper assured understandingly.

"Even if I didn't want to die, it is necessary. My condition has immobilized the whole Palace." Shifu confessed, trying not to shed any tear. "Even if I didn't want... I need to."

Master Viper saddened, but remained silent, waiting for Shifu's next words he had guessed before the red panda spoke.

"You can... help me." Shifu began.

"Help you with what?"

"I w-want to die." Shifu stated unsurely. "But they are not going to take my life. Could you help me?"

The snake needed a moment to think. "I can. I cannot bite, but I still know many poisons..." he avoided mentioning that he could just suffocate him.

Shifu felt a sudden sting of anxiousness in his heart, but he suppressed that strange feeling. He was just trying to do the right thing, what was he afraid of?

"May I ask you some questions?..." the old viper asked mysteriously.

"What questions?"

"Just some questions, you know, I don't meet dying people every day. I'm just interested. But you have to answer me completely honestly."

"I think so..."

"What would you do if one of your students were fully paralysed?" Master Viper asked.

Shifu didn't know why, but in his mind's eye, he saw Crane lying in a bed like he was lying now. He saw his beautiful wings, which always reminded him of angels, lying limply and his eyes full of tears in an empty stare.

"I would do anything to make him happy." Shifu answered honestly, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Would you help him die if he wanted it?" the viper asked frankly.

"I don't know." Shifu whispered blinking away his tears.

"I understand..." The snake finally nodded his head and sighed once again, turning to the door. "A pity that you won't give your students any chance. They won't even talk to you before you die. Poor Viper... I can't even imagine how heartbroken she will be." the sadness on his face almost crushed Shifu's heart. "She loves you so much..." the snake shook his head. "Well, you can send Zeng to me anytime and I will arrive with a proper poison."

As he was about to exit and leave the confused small panda alone, he stopped before the door and turned around again. "It has just come to my mind... have you ever thought that the student who would be the one to take your life, would also end in Chorh-Gom or get executed for killing their own master? I'm not saying that it will happen... you're not the first master to die. But there's always such a possibility." the snake explained vaguely, hoping that Master Shifu would believe his words. "Of course I can take that risk, Shifu. I'm just an old snake, I can stand any sacrifice to help my friends. Even if it means losing everything, for example, my own life."

There was a moment of very awkward silence between the two masters. The red panda recognized his own attitude in Viper's last words and the snake knew it well.

"It's time for me to go." Master Viper said with honest sadness. "See you tomorrow, Master."

Shifu didn't want the viper to leave, but he couldn't say any word when the snake just closed the door behind him and left his chambers.

The red panda wasn't sure if he wanted to die. One part of him wanted to be dead, for he couldn't stand the shame he had to go through every day; it wasn't even life, not mentioning that he didn't want to be a burden to his students... The second part of him wanted only to cry and beg his family not to leave him. It was now so hard to decide.

_And I fell for that old devil's tricks..._ a small smile appeared below the red mask on his face, but a few tears fell from his eyes and seeped into his pillow when his mind created an image of Po sitting in some forsaken cell in Chorh-Gom.

* * *

Great Master Viper entered the terrace and rested his head against one of the pillars. For a long moment his mind was completely empty. The conversation had been too hard. _What if..._ he thought finally, but some low whisper spoke.

"Master?..." Po asked, getting up from the ground. He had been sitting there all the time since the viper had entered Shifu's room. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him... that I could kill him." the snake admitted honestly.

The panda couldn't believe his ears. "WHAT?!" he shouted devastated, but he lowered his voice. "How could you do that?!" he hadn't expected such a betrayal.

"His mind needs the comfort of feeling that there is some way out for him he doesn't have to use." the snake began. "I've made the choice to die harder to him. But if he really chooses to die... I will have to help him pass away."

"But why?..." Po almost started to tear his hair out staring at Viper's father like he were an old lunatic. "Why?!"

"Because, Master Po, his life doesn't belong to us." Master Viper explained calmly as never before. "And we cannot keep him against his will."

Po leaned his back against the nearest pillar and buried his face in his paws in an expression of utter despair; the older master couldn't look at that.

"You need to know that someone endowed with a soul of a warrior needs tasks to live." the snake explained. "Give him a task, Master Po."

But the panda didn't want to listen to the snake anymore, he passed him and ran back to the chambers.

* * *

Shifu lay in his bed and couldn't stop his tears trickling down his face and into the pillow. For the first time since his last fight he was thinking not of himself, but of his students. He suddenly understood how unfair he had always been to them. Those times, when he had been a real teacher he had rarely thought of their private problems, their dreams, he was sure he had always been proud of them, so why had he treated them almost like his enemies? No wonder, he had given his whole heart to Tai Lung.. to the only student who tried to kill him.

It was so unfair, yet they still loved him.

He had had very few whiles with his students when they actually were like a family. He couldn't remember any other moment than that one before the fight, when he had believed he was going to die.

_They deserve something better than that._ he thought, crying and sniffling over and over again. _If I had to choose the last thing in my life to do, it would be seeing them._

Po entered the room, rubbing his eyes to hide the tears he had just wiped away. His heart sank when he saw what the red panda was doing.

"Master Shifu, what happened?" Po asked, walking up to the bed quickly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took a handkerchief out of the drawer in Shifu's night table. He stroked the small panda's face with the soft fabric, wiping his tears away. Po regretted so much that he had let the snake come in.

"I want to see my students." the red panda stated firmly, trying to stop crying, taking deeper breaths and sniffled again.

Po looked at him with wide eyes. Those words were the last thing he had expected. "Really?.."

"Yes."

Po smiled, looking down at his master's face; he was surprised, but also happy to hear that Shifu wanted to see the Five after all those days of refusing to let them come to him. Then some fear crept into his heart.

_What if he wants to say Goodbye to them and leave us forever?_ He needed to know the reason of his request, but if Shifu still wanted to die, he wouldn't tell him. _What if Viper's father is right and Shifu has a right to choose between life and death?_ he wondered, staring into space.

"Po?.." Shifu asked, looking at the giant panda anxiously. "Do they still want to see me?"

_Whatever he wants to choose I cannot forbid him to do it._ Po had to look at the red panda again. "Of course they want." he assured, surprised by the question. "I'll bring them, but first, you need to stop crying. They've been too sad lately. You need to smile." he didn't know why he was talking such nonsense, but Shifu looked like he was willing to follow his advices.

Po stood up and started to adjust the pillows under the red panda to lift his back, looking carefully at his expression.

Shifu looked a bit stressed, maybe unsure, but not depressed. It was something rather unusual to Po considering Shifu's mood since his _accident_.

"They'll be here in a few minutes." Po assured with a smile and walked over to the door, looking at the red panda hopefully once again before he left the bedroom.

Then after closing the door, Po stopped in his tracks when the old snake master's words returned to him in his mind.

_'Give him a task.'_

Hadn't he just done that?

* * *

Po entered the barracks and immediately heard voices coming from Viper's room.

"Master Shifu wants to see us all." he said, standing on the doorstep of his snake friend's room. The warriors looked at him with wide eyes, shocked by the news.

"Now?" Tigress asked, standing up slowly. "Did he say why?"

"No, unfortunately not." Po replied, sending Viper's father a very meaningful look. The serpent didn't look scared at all.

Tigress felt a little nervous.

"Well.. whatever he wants from us, we should go, I think..?" Monkey asked.

The Five agreed and after a short bow to the old master, they left Viper's room. Po was the last to exit. He closed the door behind him not bowing to her father.

The old snake coiled up on the straw mat to rest after the long travel. He laid his head down on his tail and stared at the walls for a very long moment like a statue. _You are the only hope, children._ He thought and after closing his eyes, slowly, very slowly he fell asleep...

* * *

Someone knocked on the door leading to the Grand Master's bedroom.

"Hello, Master." Tigress said unsurely, she entered the room and scooted over to make more room for the other warriors, who entered next one by one: Viper and Mantis, Crane, Monkey and Po at the end, everyone smiling shyly at the red panda.

Shifu was a little surprised that they actually wanted to see him and he couldn't help but smile back at them.

"Forgive me Master, it's my fault that we aren't training." Tigress began to explain. Po couldn't tell them why exactly Shifu wanted to see them, so she expected a thorough reprimand for not substituting for him properly.

"I'm not interested in kung fu today." The red panda answered in a voice he couldn't even recognize.

The warriors looked back at him attentively, wondering what they should do now. Their master had talked to them like that only a few times in his life.

"Today.. I want to be with my family."

* * *

It was early in the evening when the warriors realised that Shifu needed some privacy; they decided to leave his chambers finally and let him rest. They took the big plate on which Monkey had brought almond cookies. After wishing Shifu a good night, they left the room with broad smiles on their faces and not without reason.

Po stayed in the chamber and sat down on Shifu's bed. "How are you feeling, Master?" he asked genuinely curious, because Shifu's expression didn't resemble anything he had seen for a few past weeks on the red panda's face.

Shifu was still smiling although his condition was irritating him, Po saw that during the meeting with the Five he had been doing his best to not think of it.

"I feel quite good." the red panda admitted, lost in his thoughts a bit. His answer was surprising to Po, who had expected that Shifu was just going to say goodbye to his students, but he decided not to press him to talk if Shifu didn't want to.

"Well, do you need anything?"

"No. Po, I'd like to stay here alone for a while. I need to think something over."

The previous fears returned to Po, who didn't want to think of Shifu's death again. But fortunately, his master's behaviour didn't betray any signs of depression... yet. Po nodded his head, although he felt unsure. "OK. Let me take this." he said and removed some unnecesary pillows from under Shifu's head. He turned the red panda on his right side and laid him down comfortably, so he could fall asleep. He also adjusted his blanket. "Good night, Master." he said, trying to smile despite his concern and walked up to the door.

"Good night, Po." the panda heard the answer. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked again at the shape of the small panda's head with big ears resting on the white pillow. He left the room wondering what the real reason of Master Shifu's strange behaviour was.

The red panda was feeling tired and slightly dizzy after the meeting, but he didn't regret anything. His eyes closed and he returned in his thoughts to the afternoon and remembered everything what had happened then:

Tigress feeling somewhat uneasy in the beginning, he would need to help her believe in herself, for she would be an amazing grand master someday, one of the few female grand masters in China. It was then when Shifu realised what he had accomplished in his life and his mind filled with proud.

Crane... he seemed to find his self-esteem in caring for his friends; once he started to think of someone else, he stopped worrying continually about himself. Shifu smiled when he understood that there were things he could learn from his own students.

Monkey- his jokes brought a lot of joy and fun into their meeting, it was his laughter what made it very happy. Thanks to his merry nature, his presence at the Jade Palace made that place a real home and he made them all a real family. No wonder that Master Oogway had liked him so much.

Viper just wanted everyone to be happy. Shifu remembered that he had met her when she was a child and he hadn't even noticed when she had become so charming, beautiful woman. Being a graceful dancer and a true warrior at the same time was no mean feat.

As for Mantis.. Shifu had noticed that his tiniest student had been staring at Viper all the time, he would do or say anything strange, funny or stupid just to draw her attention to himself, even if that attention meant getting smacked with her tail. The red panda wondered if Viper reciprocated his feelings.

He felt so calm thinking of their latest meeting, their conversation about Viper's sisters, his students' hobbies, the Valley of Peace and about Mr. Ping's soup with a secret ingredient, 'the best noodle soup in the world' as Monkey had said.

Then he remembered his youngest student. Po had been pondering over something all the time, rarely talking. Shifu had never expected to teach a giant panda and he caught himself thinking of Po like his family. _Well, maybe red pandas are not exactly pandas, but still..._ His eyes opened. _Hmm.. I totally forgot..._ he thought, remembering Master Oogway's prophecy about the Dragon Warrior.

_How can the panda bring me peace?_


	6. Let's take a bath

**Warning: dangerously fluffy contents! R&R - Relax and Read. ;)**

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Po woke up when he heard the doors leading to the other rooms being closed. Someone whispered something about Po being probably in the kitchen, making breakfast. Po closed his eyes and sighed. He was still sleepy, even getting up to work at the restaurant had always annoyed him, despite the fact that he had liked his work. But his eyes snapped open when he remembered that he wasn't at the Jade Palace without reason. He stretched and got up slowly.

Upon entering the kitchen Po saw Monkey, Crane, Mantis, Tigress, Viper and... her father eating breakfast the servants had prepared for them. Po had slept so fast that he had forgotten about the snake's arrival. And he immediately remembered what he had offered Shifu yesterday.

"...so I'm afraid you made a mistake of telling every medic in the whole region about Master Shifu's illness." the old snake finished his thought.

"Hey, Po. Help yourself." Monkey said, noticing the panda's appearance and pulled a plate with some rice sandwiches with vegetables towards Po.

"Thanks," Po said, eating one of the sadwiches in one bite. "I'll eat later, now I need to take some to Shifu's room."

"We've saved some, but we thought you should take it to him." Monkey added, meaning Shifu's irritability in the past few weeks and handed the panda a small plate with two rice sandwiches. Enough for a small panda who couldn't move and felt rather bad.

"You are right Master, we brought them to the Palace being fully aware that we were putting our master in danger, but we didn't see any other choice. We still hoped naively that someone could really help him." Tigress continued her talk with Viper's father.

Po exited the kitchen, but stopped nearby the door quietly. He knew that eavesdropping was rather a bad habit, but he had to make sure that the snake wasn't going to kill Shifu.

"So now you need to ensure that someone is incessantly with him." the snake master spoke.

"Actually, it's fair. Shifu always protected everyone, now we can protect him." Crane assured.

"As I'm thinking of it... you're right." the snake answered.

Po decided to leave the barracks.

He stopped outside the building and leaned his back against the wall, trying to wake up his brain. _What is happening to me? Do I really believe that Viper's father - Great Master Viper - wants to kill Master Shifu?_ he shook his head. _Don't be stupid, Po._

"Master Po?" someone spoke to him. The panda hadn't noticed the older snake's appearance. "You forgot his tea." the viper handed him a cup of green tea, which he had held with the end of his tail. "May I talk to Shifu after breakfast?" he asked, when they slowly made their way towards the courtyard leading to the main arena. "I'm leaving today before midday."

"So soon?"

"Yes.. and I hope I will not have to return here in a few next months.."

"Hope?" Po asked thinking of Master Viper's offer to kill the red panda. Judging by the Five's calm behaviour, he hadn't told them anything. "You hope? Does Viper know what you offered him?"

Viper's father just sighed and shook his head. "Life is not so simple as you think. You're too young to understand it now. I'm sure that he's feeling much better after your and the Five's last visit." he said and they went towards the Palace.

* * *

Po entered the bedroom after a short knock, holding the plate between his right paw and his chest. "Good morning Master Shifu." he said with a big innocent smile, seeing that the red panda was awake. "I've brought you two sandwiches and a cup of green tea." Po added, putting the dishes on the night table.

"Green?... My favourite? How did you know?"

Po had expected that the red panda won't react, so Shifu's questions surprised him. "I... guessed." he lied and pulled the red panda into a sitting position, supporting his head and putting some pillows under his back to rest his head against them comfortably. When Shifu had been sat up, Po fed him slowly, watching carefully and discreetly his expression, but the red panda looked so... normal. Of course to the level someone in such a condition could look like.

He helped Shifu drink the tea and when he swallowed the drink, Po had to ask him a question.

"How are you feeling, Master?"

"Are you going to ask me this question every morning?" Shifu asked suspiciously. "If you must know.. I'm feeling quite good, although it could be better.."

Po sighed with relief. "Good, because Viper's dad is leaving the Valley of Peace today morning. He wants to talk with you."

"With me?" the red panda looked at Po with his big blue eyes and he seemed abashed. He had a terrible moral hangover after their last talk. "All right, but tell him that I'm.. I don't know.. tired? I have something to do or whatever."

This time Po was the one who didn't understand anything. _Ok... if Shifu isn't planning his suicide, Master Viper won't have to kill him, so... yes, I can stop being paranoid._ He let out an inward sigh of relief. "Just a short talk. I understand." he nodded knowingly and collected the dishes to leave the room.

* * *

Po stood on the terrace and saw Master Viper standing in the Hall of Warriors and looking at the crack in the stairs.

"He's agreed on a very short talk." he spoke to the snake, who hadn't expected him.

"Perfect." the old master smiled and quickly slithered out of the Hall.

Po sat down on the green stairs and put the plate and the cup beside him. That whole situation was getting on top of him. He sat and stared at the green marble before his eyes. He felt too stupid for snake tricks, riddles and philosophical wise talks. He wondered how someone like him could really help Shifu if he chose to live.

How could _he_ help...

_Especially because..._

Then the snake appeared without any sound again. "I was really worried, but he reacted exactly like I had wanted. I think Shifu is really lucky to have you."

Po looked at the serpent vacantly. "Me?..."

"You, his other students.. Zeng and the servants... I'm leaving feeling much calmer than yesterday." the viper admitted, avoiding looking at the crack in the stairs.

They made their way towards the large door. Po's fears suddenly started to vanish, as if some evil spell had been casted on him and then dispelled, as if his worries had been only a bad dream.

"How did you know that he would choose life?" he asked the master. "You did know, didn't you?" he narrowed his eyes, smiling down at the snake and opened the door, holding the plate with the cup.

"Honestly? I had no idea." Viper's father replied, making Po's eyes widen in shock. The snake just smiled slyly, glancing at the Grand Master's shrine for the last time before leaving the Hall. "But you can risk talking to a reasonable person."

* * *

Two hours later, when Great Master Viper was on his way home, Po lay in his room and stared into space. The Five's visit yesterday had been of some help, but now he should help Shifu change the _thing_ the red panda hated so much, but he wondered how to do that, not ruining Shifu's mood at the same time. His mind recalled his conversation with Viper's father involuntarily; his advices had worked so far.

_'...I lost my own fangs in some fight and I suddenly became someone like Viper..._

_It brought us together..._

_...You have no idea how much my mishap helped us.'_

His eyes closed as his mind was analysing all the possibilities._ How can it help me? Breaking my own spine is not a way out..._

Then Po's eyes snapped open as had a sudden brainwave. It was not the paralysis what was making Shifu feel bad the most.

_You're a genius, Po._**  
**

A quick knock reverberated in the servants' house, when Po stood in front of their door. Suddenly the door opened and Po saw Zeng, who looked rather surprised. "Did something happen, Master Po?"

"Zeng! Great! I need your help!"

* * *

Po assured Tigress that the Five could slowly return to their daily trainings, especially because it helped improve Shifu's mood. When the warriors entered the Training Hall somewhat reluctantly, Po went to Shifu's bedroom and hoped that his plan would work.

As every time, after a short knock, Po entered the Grand Master's room.

"Do you want to ask me how I'm feeling?" the red panda greeted him, sitting in his bed, tired of meditating in the same position, of being constantly in the same position, tired of being himself.

Po stopped in his tracks, really perplexed. "Umh.."

"Have you brought something to eat?"

"No, I thought that you weren't hungry."

"I'm not. I just hoped that you won't bring that damned basin..."

Po sat down on the bed and looked into Shifu's eyes, trying to make the atmosphere of their talk a little more friendly. "You know that a bath is now necessary."

Shifu looked away, feeling his mood fall along with his ears. _Of course.. I can either die of boredom or of embarrassment. Wait. _The red panda narrowed his eyes at Po._ Is he suggesting something?**  
**_

"...but today everything will be different. I won't bathe you in the basin in your room. I'm taking you to the bathhouse." Po explained, hoping to help him accept the changes. After the biggest crisis, that moment had to come some day.**  
**

"You know that I don't want to leave my chambers. They will stare at me."

"Who?"

"Everyone!" Shifu explained, really believing his words. "The servants, Zeng... the Five!"

Po didn't buy that cheap excuse. "They saw you yesterday and you're still alive."

Shifu rolled his eyes. His condition was making him feel extremly stressed no matter what he had eaten or how long he had slept. _No, he won't understand._ "Po..."

"Sorry, but stop acting like a child, Master. The Jade Palace is your home and you have every right to be here, ill or not." Po stated, but his heart softened when he saw that sad, defeated expression on Shifu's face and complete lack of reaction to such a talk. The last thing he wanted was to make the red panda feel like his life were an ordeal. "Do you trust me, Master?"

_Do I have any choice?_ "Yes.." Shifu admitted, feeling his ears lie still on his head. And he felt bad. Really, really bad. As if he were very ill.

"So.. may I carry you to the bathhouse?"

The red panda sighed. "Do what you want..." He whispered resignedly.**  
**

Po smiled, happy that his satanic plan had at least a small chance to work. "I guarantee that you'll like it."

* * *

Po left the Grand Master's chambers, holding Shifu like a newborn baby. The red panda tried to look around hoping that no one was staring at him, it was rather difficult, for he could see only Po, the sunny blue sky and some trees around. He felt strange and unsure being outside for the first time since his _accident_. The fresh air filled with scent of sun, flowers and trees, once so common to him, now seemed to be completely unfamiliar and Shifu felt stress again.

Soon, Po left the terrace, going towards the low, wooden building called the bathhouse. Shifu knew that they were close to his yet another humiliation, feeling the change in the air, which had become more wet, earthy and refreshing. The bathhouse was located near some tall pine trees and when they entered their shadow, he heard some voices he had been afraid of.

"Good afternoon Master Shifu, Master Po." the five goose servants said, exiting the bathhouse with smiles on their faces.

Po noticed that panic in the small panda's eyes, but didn't react not to make him feel worse and replied.

They finally entered the bathhouse, where a big round bath resembling a real pool was in the middle of the floor. On the opposite side of the room stood folding screens and to the right were cabinets and a long bathroom counter with drawers. It was dark in the bathhouse, the only light was coming from long, narrow windows with opal glass under the ceiling and from a few lanterns filled with aromatic essential oils.

The wonderful pine scent hit Shifu upon entering and Po laid him on the bathroom countertop. As the panda closed the door so no one could bother them, the small master noticed that the bath was already full of hot water. Po approached the red panda and Shifu closed his eyes, knowing that the worst part of his every bath was about to happen. He found it very calming that he couldn't feel what the panda was doing and he didn't have to look at that. Fortunately, he could focus on the pine scent and he stuck his mind to it as strongly as it was possible, imagining pine trees and forests, it wasn't too difficult. Shifu slowly started to feel more comfortable, although he knew what was happening and his worries started to disappear somewhere as his mind realised that he had no influence over what was happening. He heard as Po walked up to some distant part of the bathhouse and after a few seconds when the panda returned, Shifu opened his eyes aware of being completely naked.

"I think we can get into the water." Po announced quietly with a smile, picking up the red panda and walked with him up to the edge of the bath.

_We?_ Shifu wondered, sitting in the massive arms. _Is he really going to speak to me like I were a little child?_

Then Po leaned down and sat Shifu down on the small stair inside the tub, immersing him slowly into the hot water and rested his head against a towel lain on the edge. After making sure that Shifu's heart was above the surface of the water, he started to... do something what made the red panda's eyes widen in horror.

_What the hell is he doing?!_ Shifu thought, staring at the giant panda with his mouth agape. "Po?... Why are you getting undressed?" he asked unsurely, seeing Po standing on the edge to his left, taking off his pants and leg wraps.

"And why do you think?" Po asked, grinning. When he was completely naked, he entered the water, making it wave a little.

Shifu quickly closed his eyes shut pretending that he hadn't seen anything, but he couldn't hide his blush. _No. It's just..._ the red panda had to ask and he opened his eyes. "Why are you taking a bath with me? What is this idea?"

"If you need to ask.." Po began, approaching the master in the water. "I thought that being the only one naked was really hard to you, so I thought that I could do something to help you feel a bit better..."

Shifu's ears fell when Po took a small vessel and poured some water on his head.

"...and now you are no longer the only 'humiliated' person at the Jade Palace." Po finished the explanation and couldn't help but grin seeing Shifu's small smile behind the falling water.

Po picked the small panda up and rested him against his chest, leaning Shifu's chin on his left shoulder and started to soap the back of the red panda's body, spreading the soft lather across his back, tail and legs and massaging him leisurely.

Shifu couldn't feel his paws, but he knew that Po's touch was very gentle and he closed his eyes, imagining that he could really feel it.

He started to see strange images... green pine trees growing in some dark forest... their branches with long needles... and he almost fell asleep inhaling the beautiful scent and listening to the water splashing quietly in the silence... Perhaps there was a forest stream in his imagination too.

That was one of the most relaxing things in his entire life and for a while he forgot completely about his paralysis.. about his worries.. humiliation.. he forgot about everything. He really trusted the panda, Po knew well what he needed and finally after what had happened in the Hall of Warriors, for a moment he felt really happy. He didn't feel humiliated anymore, he didn't feel like a helpless child. Everything was so... normal again.

Po rinsed the soap off the red panda a few times and sat him down back on the stair. Shifu felt a little unsure when he could see Po again. To make matters worse, he knew that Po's paws were washing him under the surface of the water. He didn't want even think what he was doing down there, but he had told him that he trusted him. He had to wait it out patiently, although at least now it wasn't a gehenna anymore.

Po's paws moved towards his chin as he finished soaping his chest and arms. He finally soaped his head, face and ears - inside and outside, covering the red panda's fur with the lather thoroughly. Then Po noticed the focused expression on Shifu's face and... he came up with one of the stupidest ideas in his whole life.

"Maaan, you've just peed on me!" he stated disgusted, looking at the water.

_What?!_ The red panda's eyes widened in shock and his face got more red than a tomatoe. _No, oh no... I just had to do that!_ "I'm sorry, I didn't feel..." he explained burning with embarrassment, his panic visible, but Po just leaned his forehead against his paws on the edge of the tub, trying to say something, what was difficult because he was shaking with laughter.

Shifu looked at him shocked, not understanding anything. _Did I.. do.. something more?.._

Po finally straightened up and filled the vessel with some water again only to pour it all over the small panda's head.

Shifu sat dumbfounded when Po did that. _No, he didn't... _"Po! You're pouring it over my head!" he shouted in anger.

The panda tried to utter his answer in some understandable manner, laughing like a retard. "It was a joke!.. You should see... your blush, it's epic!"

Shifu glared at him with pure hatred. "Was that supposed to be funny?!"

"Well it was!"

"Carry me to my room! Now!" the master demanded, infuriated by the insolent answer.

"Wait, I haven't rinsed..."

"You're lucky that I can't move, because if I could.. I would _kill_ you!" Shifu stated.

Po suddenly stopped laughing and stared at the small panda in astonishment. Shifu saw that, but he didn't understand why his words had been so scary to the panda, he couldn't move anyway.

"Say that again." Po asked.

"What?"

"That you would kill me."

"I would kill you." Shifu repeated half-heartedly, rolling his eyes.

"No, try to repeat it with emotion.." Po convinced.

"What is wrong with you, Panda?! I said 'carry me to my room'!"

"But I swear, you bent your neck when you said 'kill'.." Po tried to explain honestly.

"No, I didn't! And carry me to my room, I need to rest!"**  
**

Po decided that it would be better to stop arguing when he realised that he had just destroyed something very precious and fragile in Shifu's mood. He got out of the bathtub, scolding himself in his mind and shook the water off himself like a dog, splashing it all over the walls, floor, the folding screens and the red panda.

Shifu was waiting with lessening patience as Po was drying himself hurriedly with a big towel and put on his large bathrobe. Po laid his wet towel on the floor and carefully took the small panda out of the water and laid him on the towel; he was soaking wet and Po needed to drain the most of the water first, since Shifu couldn't shake it off himself. When Po cleaned Shifu's ears and dried them, he put a fresh towel on the bathroom countertop and laid the red panda on it. Shifu looked so pitiful and tiny with his wet fur, but at least now it wasn't his nakedness what was angering him the most, but the stupid panda. Po dried carefully every part of Shifu's small body with his soft towel, as if he could really feel him. Finally, he left the red panda for a short while, to find his tiny bathrobe.

Shifu was lying helplessly, covered only by the dry part of his towel and could see only the ceiling, when Po was looking for the bathrobe in another and another drawer.

"That's strange... I can't find your bathrobes anywhere." he confessed honestly not to anger the red panda again.

Shifu just rolled his eyes under his furrowed eyebrows.

"I'll give you mine." Po offered, approaching the red panda with one of his large cream-colored bathrobes. After so many days of the Dragon Warrior's presence at the Jade Palace, Zeng had ordered the geese to sew some bathrobes large enough for a giant panda.

Po turned the master over and started to wrap him in the large robe. In one moment, when Shifu was lying on his stomach he had a strange feeling.

"Po?..." he asked.

"Hmmm..?" the panda muttered, preoccupied with what he was doing.

"Have you just slipped my tail into the sleeve?..."

"Yes."

The small panda listened to the short answer dumbfounded. "May I ask why?..."

"It's.. very practical." Po explained laconically, sitting Shifu up and rested his back against the wall behind to put the hood on his head. The summer was warm, but not always for someone living on the top of a mountain, Po had to make sure that Shifu would not be cold. The big hood covered completely the small panda's face, pressing his ears to his head. Po couldn't help but smile broadly, trying to set the hood properly, not to hide Shifu's face, and protecting his head from falling. The red panda was losing his patience in the meantime, sending Po burning glares from under the hood.

"Stop acting like I were your baby!" he shouted, making Po flinch in surprise. "How long do I have to be here with you!?"

"I've just finished." Po said and gathered their wet towels, clothes an leg wraps to wash them later. "I'm sorry, Master." the panda said, meaning his stupid joke and picking up the bundle with Shifu inside. The master didn't say anything when Po carried him out of the bathhouse, and went towards the Palace.

* * *

Po laid Shifu down on his left side provisionally when they were in his chambers again.

"Now get out. I need to rest." the red panda commanded, although Po hadn't managed to lay him in some more comfortable position.

"But I haven't put-"

"I said something!"

Po decided to leave him there as the master wanted. He stopped at the door to explain once again. "I just tried to make you laugh.."

"I don't want to laugh!" Shifu shouted and with that answer, Po left the bedroom, closing the door quietly. He leaned against the wall in the corridor. _Yes. You're a real genius, Po._ he thought, sighing.

The small panda lay in his bed, still in that uncomfortable position, in the tiny cage of his own body, with his head sunk in his white soft pillow; his tail remained inside one of the sleeves of Po's big robe. The small master wanted to cry again, but instead of that, he was feeling incredibly frustrated and resentful.

_Why is everyone making fun of me? Why won't they just let me suffer in peace?_

He felt very sleepy, lying in the bundle of Po's warm bathrobe in the fresh bedclothes the servants had prepared for him while he had been taking a bath. The pine scent surely helped too, and the red panda, although still angry, slowly fell asleep..  
**  
**


	7. Guilty

**(A.N.) As you can see, I've changed the title, because I always use "Rag Doll" as a working title during writing this story. I hope you like the change.**

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Po was walking down the Thousand Stairs, not even knowing where exactly he was going now. He had put on clean clothes and wanted to wash everything he had left in the bathhouse, but some goose servant had offered his help, so Po decided to go for a walk. For a long walk, somewhere far away from the Palace, to think. Or better - to rest from thinking. The panda wasn't feeling like training, although he knew that he shouldn't stop learning despite his master's condition. He was very disappointed in himself after that stupid thing he had said in the bathhouse, Po suspected how much it must have hurt Shifu that he had reacted in such a way. Then he stopped on the stairs as he remembered what he had seen where they had been talking in the bathtub and made his way down the long stairs into the village again.

* * *

The afternoon was still sunny and warm and the colourful streets were full of the inhabitants of various species and age. Po felt uneasy when some villagers started to bow and a lamb pointed at him, saying something about the Dragon Warrior to her bunny friend.

"Hi, Po! How is Mr. Ping doing?" some man asked him friendly. Po recognized a regular client of his dad's restaurant in that person.

"Fine, thanks, sorry, I'm already late!" Po shouted back, quickening his pace. He wanted to make his way through the streets as quickly as it was possible to find the hospital. So he ran, pretending to be hurrying and hoping that no one would call him the Dragon Warrior, or a 'master' again, or worse... ask him a question about Master Shifu.

He finally found the low, long solid building which he had been looking for. Although sounds of coughing patients and crying babies were coming from inside, the area looked rather nice and friendly, like almost everywhere in the Valley of Peace. Some pig was helping her husband walk on crutches on the cobblestone path in front of the hospital, it appeared that he had broken his leg.

Po entered the building and immediately saw a long queue of women. A few of them were holding their children, who didn't look sick considering their shouts and laugh, everyone were sitting on the long bench along the wall separating the corridor full of waiting people from the part for sick or injured patients.

When Po saw the queue his heart sank, but it was not important, he needed to ask the doctor about one thing. A piglet sitting on the bench nearby was looking at the panda all the time and finally he showed him his hand dressed in a white bandage.

"I've broken my hand." the boy said smiling as if breaking a bone was fun.

His smile made Po smile back at him. "Don't worry, it'll set soon."

"It already has. The doctor will take my bandages off today."

"That's great!"

"Stop bothering the Dragon Warrior," the boy's mother spoke to her son. "I'm sorry, Master Po. He likes you so much." she added apologetically.

Po saddened a little, hearing the title. "It's OK, he's very nice-"

"Are your legs broken too?" the piglet asked Po, noticing his leg wraps.

"Huh?" Po looked at his legs. "No!" he chuckled. "No, they aren't."

"So why are you wearing those bandages?" the child asked disarmingly frankly.

Po wondered how to explain that to the child as simply as possible. "It.. helps me run and fight.."

They were sitting there and talking while the patients were entering and exiting the room at the end of the corridor to leave the hospital, and soon the piglet disappeared with his mom behind the door too. Po sat in the empty hall, no one had come there after his arrival. For some strange reason, he started to feel nervous although he wasn't there to get examined. Some voices were coming from behind the wall, apparently the nurses were talking to the patients. Po started to relax and fortunately, the door opened and the piglet and his mom left the doctor's office. The bandages had been taken off and the boy waved his now good hand.

"Bye-bye Po!" he said and soon he left the building with his mom.

"Master Po?" the doctor said, seeing the panda in the waiting room. The medic - Mr. Li Chao - was an old ram wearing a long white robe and a pair of small glasses on his nose. He was surprised and worried, knowing what had happened to the Grand Master. "How is Master Shifu?"

"Fine, I suppose..." Po answered, getting up. "But I need to ask you about something."

* * *

The panda and the ram had entered the doctor's office. The room was very large, because sometimes the patients were very big - rhinos, elephants or the only giant panda in the village, for example. Po sat down on a stool in the room and immediately started to explain.

"Master Shifu was taking a bath today and.. something strange happened."

"What happened?" the ram asked, sitting down.

"We were talking and I could swear, I saw him bend his neck slightly. Is it possible?"

Mr. Li Chao stroked his chin, thinking of something intensely. "Are you sure he did that?"

Po tried to remember that moment and gave the most honest answer he could. "I'm _almost_ sure. Unfortunately, Master doesn't want to talk about that, he doesn't believe me."

The medic sighed. "You know that I cannot help you very much since full paralysis is very rare. There were only few patients fully paralysed who managed to survive some time after their accidents and Master Shifu is my only and I hope the last patient suffering from this disease." Li Chao began. "However, I heard once that some paralysed people could move their necks or bend their fingers or toes, but only after a long time of rehabilitation, when they really tried to do that."

"What does it mean for Master Shifu?" the panda asked hopefully.

The ram didn't look too happy. "Firstly, Master Po, don't hope that Master Shifu will regain his full health. It's not possible, but you should start his rehabilitation exercises as soon as possible, it may help him feel a little better. Start from bending and straightening his arms, legs, toes, fingers and his spine, but very carefully. It's very important to trick his body so that it can 'think' that nothing happened, he will survive some time longer at least."

Po nodded, thinking how to convince Shifu to agree on exercises, considering his bad mood and another thing came to his mind. "Master Shifu told me something strange a few days ago. He said that he would die of pneumonia or a blood clot soon. Is it possible?"

The doctor saddened again. "Yes..." he admitted after a moment. "Lying constantly in the same position is not normal. He won't survive long like that. This is why the exercises are very important now. You should make sure that Master Shifu's body is moving almost continually. Always lay him on soft surfaces, change his position very often to prevent him from getting bed sores, pneumonia, blood clots and perhaps many other things. He must not lie or sit too long in the same position. This is all I can tell you for now considering my knowledge." the doctor sighed, seeing Po's devastated expression. Apparently the panda had had no idea how seriously ill the Grand Master was.

"Forgive me Master Po, I should have told you that on the first day, but Master Shifu was so depressed the last time I saw him that I couldn't do that, especially because I was sure he wouldn't want to live anyway. I wanted to come to the Jade Palace later and check how he was doing, but you came here first."

Po was sitting there, trying to understand all the dangers. He scratched his forehead and stood up. "So I suppose I should be going now..." he said, but he knew how angry Shifu had been when he was leaving him in his room. However, he had an idea where to go instead of coming back to the Palace now.

The panda left the hospital, heading towards the main street of the Valley of Peace. Mr. Li Chao was watching him leave with a feeling of awful powerlessness. Master Shifu was one of his patients he really wanted to recover, but he couldn't do anything to help them.

* * *

Po walked down the street devastated. He had still a few hours until the sun would start to set, so he decided to visit the restaurant. He had hoped to hear that there was some hope for Master Shifu, not a guarantee, but only a hope that he would at least be able to move his hands and head some day. Instead of that, he had found out that Shifu needed more care that Po had originally thought. That totally depressed the panda, who tried not to burst in tears in the middle of the street. He felt fear so dreadful, as if boiling water had filled his body and he finally approached the gate leading to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop.

The restaurant was full of talking and laughing clients, they bowed to the panda when they saw him and upon returning the bow, Po felt a sudden pain in his heart when some children sitting at one of the tables called him the 'Dragon Warrior' again.

_Master Oogway would be very disappointed knowing that I don't feel worthy of this title anymore..._ Po thought with bitterness, entering the kitchen quickly.

"Po!" Mr. Ping welcomed his son with a smile, embracing him with his wet wings. Perhaps he had just washed some vegetables or fruits. "I haven't seen you for ages!" Po returned the embrace and closed the door.

"How are things going at the Palace?" Mr. Ping asked, remembering the difficult situation the warriors were in.

Po sighed, wondering how to begin. He couldn't remember if he had ever felt so bad, so foolish and helpless, like a one big failure. He rested his back against the wall and looked really lost in thoughts. "I talked with Master Shifu's doctor today."

Mr. Ping put his wooden ladle on the countertop with a loud noise. Fortunately, the clients didn't react, it was loud in the restaurant anyway. "Po, are you still caring for him?" he turned around and asked, eyeing his son attentively. "Are you still washing him? Feeding him.. dressing him... doing everything?..."

Po finally looked down at the goose surprised, as if he had just woken up. "Of course, what, you think I shouldn't?"

The goose shook his head to calm them both. "That's not the point Po, but you should train and learn at the Jade Palace otherwise you'll forget everything he taught you. Or..."

"Or...?"

"Or just come back to me." Mr. Ping asked unsurely. "Don't you think that it's weird that you're caring for an almost strange person to you? He has his own family and a crowd of servants. I need you here!"

Mr. Ping had a point. But as Great Master Viper had said, life was not so easy as everyone thought. "Dad... Forgive me, but I can't leave him." Po began and wondered how to tell the goose about his reasons. "And I don't want to."

"Why?.."

Po didn't answer, staring at the opposite wall. He knew well that after his answer his life would never look the same as before. What he would think about himself after admitting what had happened. He walked up to the counter and poured some water into a cup. He took a few sips, hoping that it would make him feel better, but the cold water only made him feel worse than before. He didn't even notice that he hadn't eaten anything since the tiny breakfast, but he wasn't hungry even smelling the delicious soup sputtering merrily in the cauldron beside the countertop.

"Po, why?" Mr. Ping asked again, feeling nervous with every second of Po's silence.

"Because it's my fault that Master Shifu is paralysed." Po stated finally, feeling as if the whole world were collapsing onto his back. He sighed heavily and put the cup down on the counter. There was a long quiet moment between the goose and the panda. Mr. Ping was shocked to hear that answer, he tried to recall _that_ day in his mind, but he still didn't understand how Shifu's paralysis could be his son's fault.

"Why do you think so?..." he whispered. He even started to think that the Five had accused his son of causing the Grand Master's paralysis, but someone interrupted.

"I'd like a bowl of dumplings, please!" some bunny customer's merry voice resounded in the kitchen. The goose quickly poured some dumpling into a bowl and gave it to the bunny, taking the money the client had put on the counter.

"'Why?' Dad, how can you ask? Don't you see who I am?" Po asked when the bunny had taken his dumplings. "Because Shifu was right. They were all right calling me a stupid, fat panda, that's why!"

"Do they force you to serve him? Did they say that it was your fault that Shifu was ill?"

Po looked at the goose confused. "No! Please, dad, they never did any such thing! I'm caring for him because _I_ feel guilty!"

Mr. Ping looked around the tables to make sure that no one was listening to their talk. "But it wasn't you who broke Shifu's spine!"

"Do you remember when you told me about the secret ingredient?"

"Yes, you took the Scroll and ran back to the Palace."

"So..." Po began, trying to calm down a little. "I was running upstairs, I needed to run up the Thousand Stairs, can you even imagine? So I was running and somewhere in the middle I lost my sight for a moment, my heart was beating so fast that I thought I was dying." Po hid his face in his paws and tried not to cry. "I'm a giant panda, I can't run upstairs!" he explained desperately. "I didn't have any strenght left... and I was supposed to fight Tai Lung... not just reach the top of the stairs! So I stopped to catch a breath and after a moment I got up and started to run again."

"And you stopped for how long?.." Mr. Ping asked.

"I don't know.. four, five, maybe six seconds..." Po answered. "But what does it matter? If I hadn't stopped there back then, maybe Shifu would be healthy now."

"Or you would have had a heart attack and you and Shifu would be dead by now and who knows who else!" the father remarked.

"Maybe..." the panda admitted. "But I should have stayed there to help him fight, Tai Lung wanted to fight me and get the Scroll... not Shifu." Po explained. "So you understand now why I can't leave him. Especially now, when he's probably dying."

The goose didn't know what to say, slowly understanding how huge sense of guilt the panda was carrying in his heart. Po felt like crying again and he just rolled his eyes, seeing another customer approaching the counter. He quickly left the kitchen, making his way upstairs to his old room.

* * *

As the panda entered his old bedroom, he noticed a thin layer of dust on the floor, shelves and the table. Mr. Ping had indeed a lot of work so that he couldn't find time to clean his room. Not that Po wanted to ask him for that. Fortunately he had at least a place where he could go and be alone with his guilt and pain. Where he didn't need to pretend anymore. He remembered the old times when he had been just a fan of the Furious Five. He had always dreamed of fighting and saving lives and when he had gotten his chance he could save everyone except... his own master. The one who had taught him everything he needed. Now he missed those old good days when he had been nothing important, but he could at least imagine that he wasn't a failure.

Po sat down at his old table and picked up some colourful pictures lying on it. Mantis... Monkey... Viper... then there was the red panda standing in a fighting stance with his bamboo flute in the next picture. Po had only two pictures of Master Shifu because they were very scarce but now those pictures appeared to be invaluable to him.

_What have you done, Po?_ the panda thought, looking at the tiny master smiling mischevously from the picture in his hands. Two tears fell from his eyes, but Po wiped them away quickly not to destroy the painting. Those words he had told Shifu when he had asked him for help echoed in his head again. _'Every one of your students would give their life to heal you.. I'd do it right now if only it could help you!'_

_Actually, I can give you my life. Maybe I can't heal you, but I promise to never let you feel bad again. I'll be your new body._ he promised sniffling when he suddenly felt Mr. Ping's wings wrapping around him, he hadn't even noticed him enter the room.

"I know that you're very sensitive, but you can't feel guilty for things that are beyond your control, Po. 'Should have', 'would have'.. Stop wondering what would have happened if you were someone else. You all did what you believed was the best." the goose explained.

Po hugged his father very tightly, feeling that he needed his understanding the most. He took a deep breath and exhaled, wiping his tears. Now at least he knew what to do and because it was getting late, he decided to stop crying and get back to the Jade Palace to fulfill his promise.

* * *

As Po went through the main gate leading to the arena, he immediately saw Monkey and Tigress talking there. Suddenly some realisation hit him: how the Five could not know that Shifu needed some special exercises if they knew so many things about health and injuries? How could Tigress not know?!

"Why didn't you tell me?!" he asked her, entering the arena. "Why didn't you tell me that Shifu needs rehabilitation?!"

The feline didn't look surprised, unlike Monkey, who got alarmed by the panda's tone. She sighed, crossing her arms and looking away, something was telling her that nothing could calm down the angry bear. "My mistake. It was when I thought that he wanted to die..."

"Oh yeah, so you just decided that we could let him believe that he was no longer needed and let him die there in his room who knows how and when? Brilliant idea, Master Tigress!"

Monkey started to worry about the panda's life when he had said that. "Po, stop..." he pleaded.

"You're going too far!" Tigress snapped. "It's not a problem to force someone to live in spite of their will, the problem is how to make them WANT to live!"

"For your information: giving up is the worst way to attain that! How could you be so irresponsible?!" the panda finished, storming out of the arena.

Monkey noticed a look of total defeat on Tigress's face, but he knew that it wasn't caused by the panda's behaviour. Po's last words were the last thing she wanted to hear now. And she knew that Po was right. Especially his last word made her feel as if her feet had stuck in the ground. _Irresponsible..._ she couldn't feel worse.

"Tigress..." Monkey began when he saw her despair.

The feline just walked away, leaving Monkey in the arena without a word.

Po felt awful, going past the golden dragons in front of the Palace. He knew that he had taken his anger, frustration and helplessness out on Tigress, although she felt lost exactly like him and probably everyone at the Palace. He knew well the sense of guilt she was feeling now and once he took a few deeper breaths while entering the terrace, he regretted everything he had told her just a moment ago. He would need to find a moment in the nearest future to apologize to her...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Grand Master's chambers, Shifu woke up after the refreshing sleep. He was feeling very good, despite the fact that he couldn't change his position and his stomach started to growl from hunger. As he was thinking of his last talk with Po, he had to admit to himself that he had really overreacted. Even if he didn't want it, the whole situation was making him feel like laughing, but although the bath with Po had relaxed him much, he couldn't let the panda get away with laughing at him. But before he could think up a proper punishment, he heard someone approaching the door and the person entered the room quietly.

Shifu recognized Po's heavy steps on his squeaking floor and the panda grabbed his arm gently. "Master Shifu?..." Po whispered, slowly turning the red panda over onto his back.

"Oh, shit!" he recoiled in horror in the next second and landed on the floor painfully when he saw the master's face: Shifu's eyes oddly rolled back in his head and his tongue hanging out limply.

Then the red panda burst out laughing, especially because the sight of a giant panda scared to death by a small corpse was particularly comical.

"Oh, shit... Man!" Po repeated, getting to his feet and placing his paw over his heart to the accompaniament of Shifu's wild laughter. "Why did you do that?" he asked, climbing onto the bed.

"Now we're even, Panda." the master explained simply, trying not to grin.

Po sat down on the bed, breathing heavily. "Yeah, there's nothing better than a good death prank." he panted out.

"I have bad news for you." the red panda began.

Po eyed the area around Shifu's tail. "I hope it has nothing to do with my bathrobe."

If the red panda's looks could kill, Po would be now decapitated and the rest of his body would be bloody spread all over the room.

"NO." Shifu assured, trying not to lose his good mood. "You will need to find some time in your schedule. It wasn't our last bath."

"Really? You liked it?" Po asked smiling, because he had forgotten about everything bad he had learned that day.

Then it came to Shifu's mind that the panda might interpret it as a very suggestive offer. "Uhm... because... it was very relaxing..." Shifu started to explain awkwardly, when their stomachs started to growl simultaneously.

The pandas looked at each other and burst into carefree laughter again.

* * *

**(A.N.) I see that most of you can't stand reading this story anymore. Well, I knew that no one wants to read about such things and I'd be writing to myself... I knew that this story would be hard, even though I have at least a small experience in what I'm describing here, but I'm not a doctor, so forgive my mistakes if you see any. I hope I manage to finish this story anyway, though it's hard even to me for many reasons...**


	8. I need to train

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

It was still sunny, warm summer and the weather was great. It had been four days since Shifu's first bath with Po and the panda was now wondering how to convince his master to let him carry him out of his room to various places for some other purpose than taking a bath. Shifu was still very stressed up while leaving his chambers and seeing the servants or someone else along the way to the bathhouse. Po understood his attitude and didn't want to force the red panda to anything, but although he tried to be optimistic, he still kept in mind that they might have little time... and he wasn't thinking only of the beautiful weather.

Trying not to hurry anywhere, Po had started to devote his every spare moment either to help Shifu or to think how to help him in the future they still had as much as he could. And he wanted to give Shifu _freedom_. Po knew that the red panda felt awful needing someone else's help even to scratch his own nose. But he knew also that freedom was not only the ability to run away whenever Shifu wanted to. Po couldn't give him back that power anyway. Freedom was also the ability to feel good in as many places as it was possible, especially when those places were parts of Shifu's own home.

Soon after breakfast and morning rehabilitation exercises, still keeping in mind that warriors needed tasks to live, Po brought to Shifu's room a small jar of herbal cream, Shifu's toothbrush, an empty bowl, a jug of warm water, a small towel and a cup.

The red panda was dressed in his brown robe and sat in his bed, waiting for the panda, who poured some water to the cup and sat down on the bed near the night table.

"OK, let's see..." Po said, picking up the red panda and sat him on his lap. He rested Shifu's back against his stomach and set his head. "Now don't move." he said, putting the toothbrush into the water and then pouring on it some of the herbal cream.

"Very funny, Panda." Shifu replied to the unintentional joke.

Po held the small panda's head and started to brush his small, sharp teeth. Shifu looked up at Po and grinned as if to help him, but Po wasn't so sure what that grin was expressing. "I think that it's high time to start to leave your chambers, Master..." the giant panda began, spreading the herbal cream over Shifu's front teeth carefully, not to scratch his gums.

Shifu's grin fell as he guessed where that talk was going. Po touched the red panda's lips with the edge of the cup and helped him take a small amount of water to rinse his mouth. Shifu spat the water out into the bowl Po was holding below his chin.

"One word: n-" Shifu tried to answer, but he couldn't because Po put the toothbrush with a fresh dab of the herbal cream into his mouth again.

"Don't refuse, Master." Po continued, putting the toothbrush further into the small mouth, brushing the teeth on the left side. "The weather is wonderful. You can't stay in this room forever."

"Oh houshe I han!" the red panda defended himself, but Po started to brush his teeth on the right side.

"I'd never forgive myself if I didn't manage to get you out of here." Po added, starting to brush Shifu's teeth inside.

The red panda was letting out some unintelligible sounds, trying hard to talk the panda out of his idea, but Po was still brushing his teeth carefully. When he finished brushing the red panda's tongue, he gave him some water to rinse his mouth again.

Shifu rinsed his mouth a few times and spat the water out into the bowl. "I've already told you: I'm not ready and I doubt that I will ever be. I don't need to expose myself to ridicule and I don't need anyone to pity me. Besides, nobody wants to watch a crippled red panda."

"You're kidding, right?" Po asked, wiping Shifu's face with the towel. The stubborn serious expression on the small panda's face ensured Po that it wasn't a joke. "Why are you so unfair to those geese? They didn't do anything to you. They are your friends! Everyone here wants your happiness."

"Here we go again..." Shifu rolled his eyes, then Po sat him down back on the bed, making sure that his head wouldn't tilt.

He decided to use the ultimate weapon. "Don't break my heart." Po pleaded, gathering the things he had brought. "You can always try. If you don't like it, it will be your last visit outside. I promise." the panda started to grow impatient. "Please, Master!... Give yourself and us a chance. For the last time."

"And what if I don't agree?" Shifu asked, looking stubbornly at the opposite wall.

Po didn't know how to blackmail the red panda, since he couldn't deny him anything. After a long moment of thinking, he finally answered. "I'll never come to your chambers again."

Shifu chuckled shortly. "That's not true, you said that you would do anything for me. I still remember it, Panda. And I hold you to your word."

"I can always go back on my word." Po said, unintentionally using much darker tone than he had intended, what made the small panda look at him without a smile this time.

"You wouldn't do that.."

"Are you sure?..."

Shifu pondered on an answer for a long while, looking at the panda very piercingly. "I'm sure."

"Why?" Po asked.

"Because if you abandoned me, I would stop eating and die." the small panda stated in a very serious and firm tone.

Po couldn't help but double up with long laughter, totally confusing Shifu, who couldn't stop his lips from an unintentional smile. "What?..."

"Sorry..." Po uttered, kneeling down beside the bed and put the things he held on the floor, resting his forehead by the edge, still laughing like an idiot. "I've just imagined Zeng... trying to put some food into your mouth, rice for example... and the food falling from your lips closed tight onto your lap..." he explained, crying with laughter into Shifu's bed linens.

"That's not funny." Shifu tried hard to send him a murderous look, but the lower part of his face wasn't cooperating.

Po looked at the small panda, but the treacherous smile on his angry face only made him laugh again.

"OK... so... I understand that I can count on your company during my meditation at the Peach Tree today." Po asked when his laughter lessened finally.

Shifu didn't answer, trying to look resentful.

* * *

Po realised that he had made the mistake of carrying Shifu in a horizontal position like a little baby. The red panda always waited patiently when Po was picking him up and setting his body comfortably, so now he was surprised when Po, after taking the unnecessary things out of his chambers, picked him up and sat him on his forearm, resting his head against his neck. He didn't need to ask about the reasons of this new practice. Po had indeed something in common with Master Oogway - the turtle had had the same brilliant, simple ideas how to fix things that appeared to be unfixable. When Po carried him out of the room in the more vertical position, Shifu didn't feel so little and helpless like before. He could see more things and had at least a feeling that everything was normal again.

Po was right, although Shifu couldn't feel anything from chin down, he could feel on his face that the weather was very warm, the slight wind was refreshing and fortunately, they didn't meet anyone along their way towards the Peach Tree. The small panda suspected that Po had something to do with that strange coincidence.

They reached the top of the Hill and Shifu could see the Tree for the first time since a few weeks; it hadn't blossomed again since Master Oogway's death. That sight saddened him a little, but Shifu didn't let those thoughts determine his state of mind. Po sat down beside the bare tree, which leaves only started to grow, and looked around the village below.

"I can't believe that you wanted to abandon this place forever." he said to the red panda, who was looking down at the village, having his nose tucked into the black and white fur.

The small panda smiled suddenly. "Let's meditate."

* * *

One hour of meditation passed like a short moment... Po had leaned back against the Peach Tree and had laid Shifu on his chest to let the skin on the small panda's back rest. He was stroking Shifu's back with his claws lazily, although he knew that he couldn't feel it. It didn't matter to Po, who unintentionally snuggled his nose up to Shifu's head.

In that moment, Shifu was absolutely content with where he was, with who he was lying on and smiled in Po's soft fur on his shoulder. Even his tragic condition wasn't a problem that day. He had meditated many times before in order to find inner peace, but after his confrontation with his son, he had understood that he would never achieve it. Now it wasn't so obvious to him anymore. He had never felt so good while meditation and that peace he was feeling was something new. Even though Shifu didn't hope for true inner peace anymore, he knew that the thing he was feeling now was very close to the state Master Oogway had described him a few times.

Po felt strange, sitting under the ancient Tree and holding the serene red panda in his hands. He felt weak, although the sun wasn't shining too much through the branches. He almost fell asleep with a feeling as if he were somewhere very far from the Valley of Peace, perhaps in some other dimension full of light. And a few times he caught himself seeing everything around him: the sky with the clouds floating above them, the mountains and the red panda and after opening his eyes he realised that for a moment he could see with his eyes closed. He mistook it for a strange dream.

Shifu meditated peacefully, listening to the sounds coming from the Training Hall because the warriors were training there. Po was doing the same, and he opened his eyes.

_I should be training right now..._ he thought, scratching the red panda's back. _But I don't want to leave you._

"You should be training now, Po." Shifu said, guessing his thoughts when he finished his meditation.

"Not without you." Po replied.

"And what do you need me to? I can't show you anything."

"I accept the fact that you want me to tend you, but you need to understand that I won't resume my training without you."

"Why?.."

"Because you are my master." Po explained simply and sincerely. He expected that Shifu would never agree on going to the Training Hall, where the Five was now sparring, considering his fears that everyone would be looking at him, comparing the current situation with the time from before his _accident_. Besides he had understood that red pandas were stubborn as mules.

"So carry me there." the red panda offered after a long moment of silence, lying still with his chin rested against Po's shoulder.

"Where?" Po asked, a little confused.

"Everywhere!" Shifu replied, making Po's eyes widen in surprise. "...but firstly, take me to my room. We forgot something important."

* * *

The large, wooden door leading to the Training Hall opened and the giant panda came in, holding the small master, who was dressed in his green robe, in his hands. The warriors, who were sparring together, didn't notice the guests, but Mantis, who was doing some exercises in front of the western wall stopped and his jaw dropped.

"Woow, guys... you must see this." the insect spoke to the warriors.

Crane and Viper stopped on the opposite sides of the Jade Tortoise, Tigress and Monkey turned their heads towards the door and looked unbelievingly at each other again.

"What's going on? I'm coming in and suddenly everyone needs to take a break? I knew it!" Shifu remarked, not looking unsure anymore.

"But why, Master? We thought that you would never come here to check up on our training again!" Crane asked, looking at the red panda with a smile like everyone else in the Hall. They beamed at him, despite of being confused.

"You wish. Now Po, find me some chair and everyone please continue, I'd like to watch it."

* * *

The panda brought a tall chair from the barracks and sat the master down in it comfortably on a small pillow and made sure that he would not fall from it on the floor. When Shifu had been sat down properly, Po joined the rest of the warriors and faced Mantis in their first spar in a few weeks.

They bowed to each other and Mantis attacked immediately, trying to take the panda by surprise. Po reacted quickly, blocking every hit.

"Nice. I didn't expect that." the insect admitted after landing on the floor.

Po had just finished meditating, how could Mantis surprise him? Po just sent him a sly smile. Mantis attacked again, trying to find some weak spots in the panda's defence. Po remembered how Shifu had taught him in the Wudang Mountains that he should always be faster and that he should foresee the opponent's next move by his moves and looks just before his attack. When Po dodged Mantis' every hit again, the green master's impatient nature started to surface and when he was trying to deliver another kick, Po caught him in a swift move, trapping the insect. Only his small green legs were visible sticking out between Po's black paws. He tried to break free, but after a few hours of exercises he was too tired. "That's not fair!" his muffled shout could be heard.

"He's right." Shifu admitted, smiling amusedly.

"Hey!" Po sent him a disappointed look.

"Try with Monkey."

Tigress walked up to Crane and Viper quickly slithered up to her insect friend.

"Show me your progress." Shifu ordered.

The warriors started to spar again, filling the Hall with their sounds like in the old good days. Shifu watched them attentively, almost forgetting about his paralysis during the next hour of their training. Tigress's hypnotic stripes were distracting him from time to time and he was feeling proud, seeing the gracefulness in her swift, powerful moves. Since the real Dragon Warrior had been chosen, Shifu understood that he didn't need to deny his students his love anymore. He watched them as Tigress was sparring with Crane, Mantis with Viper and Monkey was dodging Po's roundhouse kicks and he couldn't help but smile when he realised that his work was not in vain.

And because he was sure that they were doing some talent show for him.

"That's enough." he stated suddenly.

The warriors stopped surprised, but they approached the red panda and stood in a row in front of him, feeling more nervous before his remarks than anytime before. When Viper managed to slither up to the rest of the warriors and Crane landed beside her, flapping his wings loudly, Shifu spoke.

"Tigress, I see that you have improved not only the speed of your moves, but also the speed of your mind. Very good! You're still the best. It's a pleasure to look at your skills."

The feline looked confused, waiting for the critical part of Shifu's remark, but he never gave her a chance to hear anything like that. He looked at the bird, leaving his daughter with a shocked expression on her face.

"Crane, because you're a bird, your balance has always been astounding, but from this day I'm sure that you can give Po some advices. Your movements don't lack fluency. I'm very proud of you."

The bird smiled and bowed quickly, thanking the red panda quietly.

"Viper, I noticed that you were highly focused all the time, I'm glad that you feel better, considering everything what happened lately." Shifu continued, when the snake smiled. "Monkey. Do you think that I'm blind?"

The simian got confused feeling some uneasy chill, which infected the minds of the other warriors too. "Uhm.. no?" he answered.

"Do you think that I didn't see what you were doing with your legs?" Shifu asked again. "Keep it up and you'll sprain your knees."

Monkey facepalmed, remembering his old mistakes.

"Mantis... what you showed me was so pathetic that I won't even comment on it."

Mantis looked devastated. He tried to said something in defense, but Shifu continued.

"To lose to a panda, Gods..." the red panda chuckled.

The insect sighed with sadness, staring at the floor, but the master hadn't finished yet. "...which means that you exercised really long today, I'm impressed. I thought that you would rather abandon your training. I'm glad you didn't do that." he finished, making the insect smile again.

"We all have deserved a big, delicious lunch..." Shifu said, when the warriors bowed to him simultaneously, still shocked by Shifu's rather positive remarks and beamed at him happily.

"Erm.. Master?" Po began shyly. "What about me?"

"Aaah, my youngest student... You may eat with us too." Shifu answered, making the Five chuckle.

"I'm not asking about the lunch!" the panda stated, crossing his arms on his chest and feeling offended and disregarded.

The warriors started to laugh louder, knowing that Shifu was having fun.

"Oh.." the red panda said finally. "As for your skills... they were pathetic."

"What?! I bested Mantis!"

"Please, Po. Is beating a tired insect an achievement to you? And I saw that you couldn't hit Monkey even once."

"That's right!" Monkey agreed triumphantly, high-fiving with Crane and Mantis.

Po's face fell when he realised that Shifu might be serious. When the warriors started to leave the Hall, being still in good spirits he stayed there with the red panda and saw a catty smile on his face.

"What was that talk?" he asked. "You know that I gave my best. Was that a revenge or what?"

"Actually, yes. Now carry me to my room, I need to prepare myself for the lunch."

Po picked up the red panda reluctantly, sitting him in his hands and holding his head close to his neck, 'hugging' him willy-nilly. "A revenge?.. For what?" Po asked, making his way towards the door.

"Hmm.. let's say.. for disobedience, for attacking me with your nakedness, for laughing at me, for blackmailing me, for not respecting my 'no', for besting one of my best students..." Shifu explained to Po's amused, widening smile, when they were leaving the Hall.

_...and for making me feel something I shouldn't feel..._ the red panda finished in his mind, smiling in the panda's fur.

* * *

**(A.N.) Thank you for your heartening reply to the previous chapter. You are the best!**


	9. Freedom

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Master Shifu entered the courtyard one morning. He couldn't remember anything better of that moment besides the vast blue skies above him and cold slight wind dancing in the sunshine. He hadn't been training with his students for so long that he couldn't even remember why. Maybe he had been too lazy for the past few years... months?... Or maybe they had had some bigger argue... He didn't know. But he knew that he wanted to see them now.

The warriors were sitting there, watching as Monkey and Viper were sparring and the small master approached them. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the red panda with such strange expressions on their faces that it surprised even Shifu.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, stopping in his tracks.

Monkey scratched the side of his head, sending the small panda a rather unfriendly look. "No..."

"So why did you stop? I want to watch your skills."

No one answered and Shifu started to feel strange when he was standing there when Crane, Monkey, Mantis, Viper and even Tigress were looking at him as if they were waiting for his leaving.

"Maybe later..." Viper spoke finally, although she didn't even look at the red panda.

"You should be abed right now..." Tigress said blankly, but she added "...Master." when the red panda looked at her.

He felt that something strange was happening and he decided to figure out why they were acting like that; he nodded his head briefly and without further questions, he left the courtyard, heading towards the Training Hall. He went through the big door and thanks to his big ears, he immediately heard the warriors' quiet talk.

"Geez.. did you see him?" Viper asked the rest.

"It would be hard to miss that... he looked like a ghost." Crane's voice replied.

"And he walked as if he was about to fall. Horrible." someone added with disgust, but Shifu couldn't recognize that voice.

Shifu looked down at himself; he saw that his body was horribly skinny, his red fur was thin and matt, he could count his ribs and to make things worse his haggard body was dressed in some old, tattered dirty rags. He looked indeed like a dead red panda. Shifu wanted to cry, he would always feel like crying if he saw anyone in such condition. _When did it happen?... _he wondered, trying to remember what had been happening lately.

"No wonder that Po left us." Viper's voice spoke again and she sounded angry. They all seemed to be angry at the red panda.

"When will that old psycho understand that..." someone started to speak again, but the words were mixing and blurring and although Shifu was doing his best, he couldn't recognize the rest of the talk. He got frustrated and...

* * *

...he opened his eyes. His head was lying calmly on his soft pillow and it was still dark, but Shifu had no clue what time it was. The Palace was dead silent, but in his mind, Shifu still heard the talk from his dream. He couldn't stop replaying it in his thoughts as if remembering it and hurting himself was a way to stop feeling bad.

_No. NO. It was only a dream. I can count on them._ _On them all..._ he tried to calm down himself. He wanted to call Po, but he abandoned that idea very quickly, he didn't want to wake up the whole mountain just because he had had a nightmare.

_It was a very stupid dream_... _old rags.. Gods..._ he tried to smile, but the image of his skinny flesh appeared in his mind again. And he knew that at least that part of the dream would come true some day.

The red panda stared at the white fabric on the pillow very long.

_Well, I'm old anyway... maybe the doctor was right... and I'm lucky that I can breathe._

But no matter how true his thoughts were, he couldn't get used to them. No matter how often he repeated them, it could only make him cry. He had never cried so often before. In the past, he could at least crush some stones or wooden boards to vent his anger and frustration. But what could he do now, lying in his bed like a bag of flour?

He hated himself again. He hated himself so much that he wept everytime he thought of his body.

_No matter what I do, no matter how long and hard I try, no matter how much work I put into everything I try, I can't move even one finger, it's all for nothing AND I CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!_

He started to sniffle fast not to choke on his own tears.

_I'd do anything to get a new body..._ Shifu thought, taking a deep breath. _To be someone else.. Even if I had to be a giant panda this time._ The last thought made him smile despite the tears and tired of crying, after another long moment, he fell asleep again...

* * *

Over a month had passed since Shifu's _accident_ and Po's schedule had become very busy.

His day began very early; soon after opening his eyes at dawn, he had to bring the clean _thing_ (the thing Shifu hated so much that he didn't even use that word, which would only remind him of his condition) to the Grand Master's chambers and wash the red panda quickly from the waist down, then after taking the towels, the basin and every unnecessary thing out of his room he had to bring him breakfast if the servants had made something or make if himself. And then brush Shifu's teeth.

The next most important thing in the morning were Shifu's exercises. After working off the stiffness in his neck, legs, hands, toes and fingers, Po could finally leave Shifu in his room alone and make some lunch. The Five meditated, read the Scrolls or trained in the Training Hall meanwhile, even though they felt strange about working as always but without Po and Shifu, they always did that just because the panda insisted that Shifu wanted that. Fortunately, Po could ask them for help whenever he needed anything.

So, after making lunch, Po had to take it to Shifu's room and feed him. After a short break they had another exercise session and later if they didn't need to take a bath, Po washed Shifu again and took him to the Training Hall to watch the Five's progress (when Po could learn and train at last) or tried to convince him to go on a short walk (the red panda still felt unsure about leaving his chambers). After that, Po could either leave the red panda with the Five and visit the restaurant or stay with Shifu and read him a Scroll or something.

Next, he had to make dinner or to bring Shifu dinner made by the geese and after feeding him, he either had to ensure his master that no one wanted to leave him or to talk with him about hundreds of matters that worried his master.

In every evening after another exercise session, he laid him down comfortably in his bed and he could finally go to his room only to crawl into his bed and fall asleep as soon as possible.

And in every moment he had to deal with Shifu's mood swings, which contained his fears, sadness or reversely - cruel jokes like that death prank Shifu had played on him. Of course Po always did everything to be even with the small panda. At least they were never bored in each other's company.

Po didn't want to think how hard their life would be were it not for the help from the servants and the Five. When could he find some time to eat something or to think of himself? The panda didn't even know.

* * *

Shifu was lying on his back on a stiff blanket placed on the floor in his bedroom and Po, who was kneeling behind his head, was bending his small hands in the elbows and outstretching them again. They didn't understand why exactly, but those exercises made the red panda feel a little better. Sometimes the strange moves were even funny. The pandas had stopped talking a long moment ago, and Po now started to exercise the fingers in Shifu's right paw after he had laid his left hand down on the floor. There were moments when Po wanted to ask him "Can you feel it?" doing another exercise, but he always remained silent, not to make the red panda feel bad. If Shifu felt anything, he would tell him, yet he either smiled when he saw the funny moves of his limbs or stared indifferently at the walls or ceiling...

Po laid Shifu's paw on the floor and leaned against his bed, sitting on the floor. Who would think that rehabilitating a small panda could be so tiring activity?

Meanwhile, Shifu was thinking of something different. He was hungry and wanted to try some Po's noodle soup, because Monkey had told him how good it was. He had been wondering how to ask Po for making some noodle soup for him since the Five's visit, he had hoped that Po would make some unasked, but unfortunately, the panda hadn't. Shifu didn't want to give Po another reason to laugh at him, but in the other hand, the panda himself had told him '_anything for you_' although nobody had asked him for it.

His stomach growled and Po looked down at him. "You're hungry too?"

"Uhm.." Shifu answered, lying in a strange position in which Po had left him.

Po put a pile of pillows on the blanket lying on the floor. After that, he picked up the red panda carefully and sat him up, resting his back and head against the pillows. "So what would you like to eat this time? Some tofu? Dumplings? Vegetables? Rice with fruits? Sandwiches?" he asked, looking rather tired.

It was a great opportunity, but Shifu didn't know how exactly he should ask. For some strange reasons learning how to ask for help or for something else was incredibly hard. Shifu looked around, trying to gather some courage. And he remembered that he had never been like that before.

"Master Shifu?.. Aren't you hungry?" Po asked again.

"Actually, I'd like some soup..." the red panda stated quietly.

Po looked at him surprised. "Soup?.. For lunch?"

"Yes, for lunch!" Shifu shouted, angered by the unnecessary questions, Po's dad served his famous noodle soup from dawn to evening at the restaurant and no one asked why, but then a small voice in Shifu's head laughed. _Your noodle soup is running away!_

"OK! I just thought that you didn't like such meals, especially in the morning of early afternoon." Po explained, offended by the outburst. "So what soup do you like?"

Shifu blushed a little. _Another hard question..._ _Be patient, he's not as cruel as you can be..._ "With noodles..."

Po chuckled, although Shifu didn't hear anything mocking in it. "Really? I didn't know... It's my favourite." he said, wondering how to make the special soup his dad had taught him. "I could make the Secret Ingredient Soup, but it would take some time..."

"You can ask the geese for help. They don't have anything better to do." Shifu prompted quickly.

Po nodded. "Yeah! I forgot about that." he said, slowly getting to his feet. "I'll check if we have everything we need. Could you stay here on the floor?" Po asked, opening the door.

"Um.. yes..." Shifu answered, but he remembered something very important when Po was leaving. "Po!"

"Yes?" the panda asked, slipping his head into the room again.

"Don't forget the secret ingredient." Shifu said completely seriously, which amused the student greatly, although Po didn't show that.

"Oh!.." Po smiled. "Don't worry, I won't!"

Shifu breathed a sigh of relief, when Po closed the door. _It wasn't so hard..._

* * *

Half an hour later Po entered the room, holding a small bowl of steaming soup. Shifu immediately smelled the delicious noodle soup and couldn't wait to try the meal. Po wasn't hurrying though, unawarely making the red panda be on tenterhooks. Po slowly sat down on the floor and put the bowl with a spoon inside on the floor. He started to set Shifu's head in a better position.

"Have the warriors eaten anything today?" the red panda asked.

"Of course, they ate the soup... I had some too..." Po assured, sitting the red panda comfortably. Then he took the bowl and slipped some soup on the spoon into Shifu's mouth. The meal was very warm, but the red panda felt clearly how brilliantly the ingredients worked together. It made him grin like an idiot when Po was giving him another portions with sliced vegetables and the noodles of course, but he didn't care. The panda smiled, seeing that Shifu was eating up everything he gave him like he hadn't eaten for the past week. After a short moment, when the bowl was almost empty, Shifu remembered that there was some special ingredient in the soup, but he still couldn't guess what it was, everyone used vegetables, noodles, spices and salt, so he assumed that the secret ingredient was something special.

"So, how did you like it?" Po asked, putting the empty bowl back on the floor.

"It's really awesome." the red panda answered honestly, beaming at the bear. "Monkey was right. I'm impressed, although I knew that you can cook so well."

"Another bowl?"

"I'd love to, but my stomach is too small, Po." Shifu answered.

"I always forget." Po smiled and pulled the bowl away to sit the red panda down on his laps in order to relieve his skin, resting Shifu's back against his stomach. "So what would you like to do today?" he asked, scratching the small master under his chin unawarely. "We should take the opportunity that the weather is so sunny to go outside..." the panda began, dragging his fingers down over Shifu's whiskers a few times without thinking.

"Po..."

"...and don't even think of refusing..." Po warned inflexibly.

"PO."

"...because I brought you my soup so I expect that..."

"Panda! You're playing with my whiskers!"

The panda laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I thought you wanted to stay here." he said and rested Shifu against the pillows on the floor again.

The truth was that Shifu wanted to go meditate somewhere outside, but it was yet another thing so hard to ask for after so many days of refusing to leave the chambers. The talk about the soup brought him back something else too.

"So what is the secret ingredient?"

The panda started to laugh. "You don't think that I'll tell you, do you?"

_Oh, no. You don't..._ Shifu's smile fell and he sent Po a look burning with anger from the pile. "The servants know.. and you don't want to tell ME?"

"Easy, Master. They don't know. No one knows except for me and my dad." Po explained with an impudent smile.

Shifu didn't seem to be calmed down. He didn't even know why he wanted to know the secret ingredient so much, but he knew for sure that if things didn't go his way, he always got mad. "But it's not fair! You know almost everything about me... and... do you think that I'd tell anyone your secret?"

Po smiled mischievously_. Curiosity killed the cat..._ "Mouse tails."

Shifu's eyes widened and in the next second he burst out coughing so hard that his head fell forward. Po lifted his chin quickly, hoping that the red panda wouldn't vomit. "Man, good that you already finished eating."

"Tell me that it was a joke." Shifu pleaded with tears of disgust in his eyes.

"Of course it was a joke!" Po assured. "Geez, I didn't want to keep the ingredient a secret from you, but when you started to insist, I couldn't stop myself.." he started to laugh again. "So, do you still want to know the secret?"

"I'm not so sure now..." Shifu replied, imagining bat wings, dead insects and tree bark in a bowl of Po's noodle soup.

"It's not what you think." Po explained. "You remember the empty surface of the Dragon Scroll."

"And?.."

"Well.. let's say that Master Oogway wasn't the only one who knew that trick."

Shifu started to understand, trying to relate the recipe and the Scroll. "So it's nothing?.. It's only for the other people so that they can think that the soup must be something special and that's the reason why they believe in its uniqueness?" Shifu asked with a slightly disappointed look on his face.

Po hadn't thought about the recipe in such a way before. He scratched his head in confusion. "Not exactly, but... damn.. as you explained it now it stopped being so magical..."

Shifu saw Po's confusion and felt guilty for making him feel like that. "As you said, no one knows." he smiled and added, blinking at the panda. "And I'm glad that it wasn't a mouse tail what made me feel like I were eating Heaven."

"Thanks, Master." Po smiled widely at the praise, scratching the back of his head and the worse mood dissipated again. But then Shifu's smile suddenly fell. He sensed that he needed a bath... right now...

"What?.." Po asked, seeing the small panda's unsure look.

If asking for a bowl of noodles or a walk was hard, telling Po the next thing was something impossible.

Po started to worry, so Shifu tried to answer as quickly as he could. "I'm afraid I have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?..."

Shifu regretted that Po was sometimes so slow-witted and now it made his blood boil. "A rather nasty one, Panda." he explained, his ears fell on his head.

Po smiled unbelievingly. "Yeah... you're just trying to punish me for those mouse tails..."

"Alright, you don't have to believe me now, I can wait until you smell it." Shifu stated and judging by Po's changing expression... the panda finally believed.

* * *

After a moment when Po had taken the bowl to the kitchen, he brought the basin and some other things to Shifu's room. He put the basin with warm water next to the pile of pillows and some idea came to his mind. He sniffed at Shifu's head, what shocked the red panda, who suddenly felt like prey.

"You smell like sun dried hay." he stated, but the red panda didn't know how to reply to that weird compliment, so he remained silent.

"OK, Master..." Po began. "You won't like this, but it will be much more comfortable if I put you into the water and rest your chin against the pillows. What do you think about it?"

The small panda furrowed his eyebrows, looking away and thinking over the idea. "I can't imagine it..." he stated finally, not wanting to look like an idiot, being washed was already very humiliating.

"We should at least try." Po smiled and laid the red panda carefully on the floor so that he couldn't see anything. Being unaware was so comforting... It happened so suddenly that Shifu couldn't even think of his falling mood. When Po took the dirty _thing_ away, the red panda soon found himself kneeling in the basin and Po quickly laid his chin on his small paws rested on the pillows and judging by the sounds of the water behind him Shifu could hear, Po was washing him quite efficiently.

The panda was soaping the strategic places on the red panda's body, looking for any signs of bedsores; fortunately Shifu was quite light and small and he didn't find any. Then he noticed that Shifu was shaking as if crying. His face fell, because he was sure that the baths weren't so hard to him anymore. "Is everything OK?.."

The next sounds he heard ensured him that Shifu was shaking with.. laughter. Po looked at him shocked.

"I was just thinking..." Shifu said, trying to sound understandably considering that he was laughing in that strange position. "...we're so lucky that I am the paralysed one here... because I can't imagine Mr. Ping or myself washing, feeding and carrying a giant panda everywhere.." and after saying that, both pandas burst out laughing so hard that their eyes got wet. Po couldn't help but rest his head against Shifu's back, howling with laughter at their hopeless situation.

A goose servant, who was sweeping the terrace in front of the chambers whispered "Hey!" to the other goose working a few metres from him. He beckoned him over and they heard the laughter coming from Master Shifu's chamber.

"What are they doing?" the other goose asked, when his colleague tried not to laugh too loud.

"So true!" Po laughed. Unlike Shifu, he was quite able to see in his mind's eye the small panda carrying him on his back to the Peach Tree and trying to change him, yet unsuccessfully.

* * *

Almost a quarter of laugh passed and Po finally managed to change Shifu and take the basin and the wet towels out of the room. He laid the red panda on the bed and sat down on the floor beside him. They had stopped laughing a long moment ago and now were tired. Shifu's mind recalled his latest dream and he could still remember that pitiful condition he had been in.

_No matter what I do, I can't change anything..._  
_...and it is what my future will look like..._

"Master Shifu? You haven't told me if you want to go outside." Po asked quietly, turning to the red panda.

"Of course I want."

"Really?.."

"Take me to the Peach Tree." Shifu said, but he needed to add something what had been on his mind lately. "But first, wrap me in some light blanket."

"What for? It's hot, even if you're still wet."

"Because I say so, Panda." Shifu explained loudly.

Po didn't want to make Shifu angry again, so he started to wrap him in some light, thin blanket which had been lying on the bed. He could only guess why the master insisted on covering his body, perhaps Shifu was somehow ashamed of his appearance, which resembled more a toy, after what had happened to him.

Maybe he didn't want his students to see how he was changing... or maybe he didn't want to see his own body.

* * *

Tigress was sitting under the Ancient Tree's branches full of green leaves, scratching her claws extended against one another. She had come there to meditate, but instead of doing so, she couldn't stop thinking, because much like Po, she was trying to find some way how to help Shifu and to find her feet in the new situation. It was harder to her; although she had an important role to play, she felt useless...

Shifu had always preferred other people.

Even Tai Lung was always better than her.

Even the panda, who had been there for one and a half months by now.

_No wonder, I almost killed him..._

_...and I thought that I wasn't like Tai Lung._

Sometimes she wanted to leave the Jade Palace forever. She had always felt that she was strange, incomplete, but what could she do about that? She was born as such a weird person and no matter what she tried, she couldn't do anything to change it. Sometimes she felt that she should be more like Viper or someone else. But it was so stupid, how could she change so suddenly into a person so dissimilar to her? Everyone would just laugh at her pathetic attempts to be different, besides, she never wanted to throw away the person she was. Even though she felt bad and uncertain, Tigress knew it would be something wrong.

_But you were supposed to raise me..._ she stared into the ground before her. _Why don't you love me if you adopted me and taught me everything?.. I am exactly the way you wanted me to be, so why are you ignoring me now?_  
She put her paws onto her face, as one of the most stupid thoughts fell through her mind - that Shifu could love only the Dragon Warrior no matter who he was. She sighed._ You're losing your mind..._

Tigress heard someone's steps on the stairs and before she could wonder who could it be, she saw Po carrying the red panda wrapped in a blanket. She stood up and when she looked at him, a wide smile appeared on her face immediately, although she didn't want that and just a moment before she had been far from smiling, especially in such a manner.

"Tigress!" Shifu spoke. "I hoped to meet you here."

The smile on her face lessened a little. "Why, Master? Did something happen?"

"No." he replied when Po smiled and turned the red panda to the feline, so that they could see each other. "I just wanted to see you. To be where you are. Not to mention that I must thank you for everything I owe you.." the red panda explained, smiling in the same way Tigress was smiling back at him. He didn't know why too, but now he knew that he was exactly in the place he wanted, needed and should be. "May I meditate with you?" he asked.

Her smile widened once again and she knew that it was the best answer she could give him.

* * *

**(A.N.) I know, it's not the best chapter, but the better are coming ;) And I thought it would be one of my shortest stories. Hah!**


	10. Apology

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Over two months had passed since the fight between Tai Lung and Master Shifu. The red panda was surprised how seldom he thought of the snow leopard. He had feared that their last meeting would be haunting him in nightmares and in waking, that he would never forget it, regretting that he couldn't turn back time... Shifu didn't want to worry anyone, he decided to deal with his memories on his own. But to his surprise - it turned out that even thinking of Tai wasn't easy to Shifu, considering his new 'life' and the horrendous stress he had to go through every day, but one day he slowly started to understand that it was a blessing in disguise. Maybe he could never have accepted his past mistakes were it not for the new problems he had.

So days were passing and the red panda was sure that he started to lose his senses, for he had begun to derive some strange pleasure from the difficult situation he had found himself in. He could do very little, being at someone's mercy, so he enjoyed giving orders, shouting at Po or pranking him whenever he wanted or even being undressed, changed and washed by him. Little did he know that it was his mind's odd way to keep him sane. He didn't have many choices - he could either go crazy or quickly find some way to stand his paralysis and the treatment.

During one bath he noticed that being undressed by the panda wasn't horrible anymore, although Po was doing everything like always... Shifu looked at the panda's focused face and felt like smiling, but he did his best to stop himself, he vented his hilarity by laughing later, when Po left him in his chambers for a moment. He wondered if that could work with someone else, but his mind quickly gave him a direct answer: _NEVER_.

* * *

The pandas were in the bathhouse again and Po was undressing Shifu, who was lying on the bathroom countertop. This time the red panda inhaled the wonderful scent of lavender oil wafting in the air from the lamps prepared by the servants. He didn't feel the need to close his eyes now although he was aware of what was happening, he didn't care, he was already fully relaxed. Shifu only hoped that he wasn't relaxed too much, for he still didn't want his body to compromise him...

It had turned out that the servants loved to prepare baths for Master Shifu, they had noticed how good he felt after them and they were glad to help him too. Their favourite part of preparations was choosing the aromatic oil and burning the lamps. The Five knew that the pandas took the baths together and although the idea originally sounded idiotic to them, they eventually understood why it worked after Po's comprehensive explanation.

Po put the red panda into the water and immersed him to the heart. As every time, he slowly soaped the whole back of his body, pressing the red panda to his chest then rinsed the lather thoroughly. The panda laid Shifu down on the edge of the bath next and washed the rest of his body. It all was quite funny to Shifu; they almost didn't talk during the baths, yet they both knew what the other thought.

Po laid Shifu on the water and let him float peacefully, keeping his head above the surface. The red panda hadn't known that such baths could be so relaxing for someone who couldn't feel almost anything.

He closed his eyes, feeling something strange, as if he was falling asleep, but being completely aware of it, he saw some whiteness under his closed eyelids.

Nothing concerned him anymore, his body and the world disappeared, it was somewhere far below him, Shifu didn't remember anything and it was so soothing...

"Master Shifu?" Po's whisper interrupted the wonderful silence.

The red panda blinked a few times and looked up at the other male. "Huh?"

"Maybe it's enough for today? You're falling asleep."

"Is the water getting cold?" the red panda asked.

"No.. not yet."

"OK, I want to stay here longer today." Shifu stated, although he knew that he shouldn't fall asleep sitting in the water, but he knew that with the panda nothing wrong could happen.

Po sat down on the stairs inside the bath and laid Shifu on his chest. His left paw reached under the water and he bent the red panda's legs a few times, they had to do some exercises that day anyway. Shifu didn't know what Po was doing; he tried to relax again with his nose tucked into the wet fur on Po's right shoulder, but it wasn't the same...

Suddenly he remembered that they were both naked. Nakedness wasn't a problem for giant pandas, but he needed to get used to their new ritual. This time he could feel only trust, being hugged by the giant panda. He needed that tranquility after those days of anger, shame, embarrassment, pain and suffering.

Shifu felt as if he had grown wings on his back and although he knew it was only his imagination, he embraced the panda with the wings and started to fall asleep again.

_Peace... is this peace?_

The same beautiful light Shifu had seen a moment before appeared before Po's eyes, although his eyelids were shut. Po was glad that the master felt better and stroked his back fondly, although he knew that Shifu would not feel it. He hoped that the small panda would have yet more such peaceful moments in the future. Po had known that he would care for the red panda's calmness so much, but he hadn't expected that giving him calm would make him feel so good too.

"Master Shifu..." Po whispered again after a long while. "It's getting cold."

The red panda sighed to prepare himself to exit the bathhouse. He had enough relaxation anyway. Po sat him down on the stair and got out of the water to dry himself. Shifu closed his eyes again and enjoyed the last moments of his meditation. He heard Po shake the water off his fur behind the folding screens. Soon, the panda came back in his bathrobe and took the small master out of the water, sitting him on a big towel. He touched his body with the fabric, draining the moisture from his fur. Then he laid the red panda on the countertop as always, he took another towel and when he was drying him thoroughly, Shifu was still feeling he same fantastic relaxation and smiled, closing his eyes and surrendering patiently to the care.

After a moment, Po suddenly picked him up and embraced him tightly. Shifu noticed that he was already dressed in his small bathrobe. "What, Po? Feeling like hugging again?" he asked surprised.

"Sorry, I'm just happy." the panda answered grinning.

Shifu just chuckled.

* * *

Po laid Shifu on the stomach on a thick blanket on the floor in his bedroom and rested his chin on his small paws. His fur was almost dry, but he knew how tousled he looked. A soft click sounded in the room when Po closed the left drawer and sat down on the floor. The panda lifted Shifu's tail and started to brush it carefully until the long, striped fur looked healthy and fluffy again; he had been taking care of Shifu's look very seriously since he had seen how important it was to the red panda. Shifu felt the brush being run over the fur on his head and saddened. His previous negative feelings returned; he remembered why little children cried so often, no wonder, since they needed to wait until their parents guessed what they wanted, but he could at least talk.

Po lifted the red panda's arms and carefully turned him onto his back and started to bend and straighten Shifu's legs in the knees alternately. That exercise always made Shifu feel sleepy, it was so laborious, so repetitive, so... pointless. It couldn't help him walk, he was aware that the exercises were only to keep him alive. Po lifted Shifu's right leg and started to move the small panda's toes back and forth. He seemed to be very preoccupied with that and it came to Shifu's mind how selfish he was indeed. The panda surely would rather spend that day with the Five or in the village or at the Noodle Shop, why would he stay at the Palace with an old, ill red panda, trying to animate his useless body? Shifu remembered how he needed Po and how much he owed him, how he _respected_ him for his gentleness and pranks that had helped him in the worst moments, he felt as though he had known him before. How could he forgo the company of such a friend? There was no good way out.

_He said that he would do anything for me..  
_

_But young people often can't keep their promises.._

Po noticed the sad expression on the small panda's face. He hated seeing him look at the ceiling like that. "Master? Is something wrong?"

Shifu looked as if he had woken up from a sad dream and let out a sad sigh. "You should take a break, visit the village, see your friends down there..."

The small panda's words surprised Po a little, who put the small legs back on the floor, sat down behind Shifu's head and started to bend and straighten his hands in the elbows, lift them and lower. He wondered how to tell Shifu the truth and avoid an awkward silence between them. "A break is not necessary.. No one misses me there.. maybe except for my dad." he said, not hiding his despondency.

Shifu looked at the giant panda's face, not knowing what he was talking about. "What do you mean? I thought people loved the Dragon Warrior."

"That's the point.. They love the Dragon Warrior.. Panda Po doesn't have any friends at all." Po bit his tongue in the last second not to say too much about his feelings about that title.

"How is that possible? I mean.. how can anyone dislike you?" Shifu asked. He had no idea what Po meant, how could a person so caring, loyal, funny and friendly have _no _friends?

"It's a long and boring story, no shocking events included." Po explained briefly, but he started to think that maybe he should... tell Shifu something about himself.

"I have a lot of time, Panda" Shifu winked and sent him a smile, looking up at Po's face from the floor. "and I'd like to listen to your story."

Po smiled sadly and sat down beside Shifu, he rolled the red panda onto his stomach and rested his chin on his palms. He started to massage the skin on his back and wondered where to start. "When I was a child I had some friends for a short time, I used to play with them in the streets before our houses or at the restaurant. Everything was so simple those days.. Later, our 'friendship' fell apart and they started their own new life. Everytime I tried to befriend someone, it ended in failure, because I was too strange, too fat, too slow, too clumsy, too 'me'...

I attended to school for only a few years and learned how to write, read, count and a little philosophy. Of course, the other children were nice to me, but I often heard them laugh at me when they thought I didn't hear it. And that hurt... Such experiences can make you stronger or break you, you know, like dripping water hollowing out the stone not through force, but through persistence."

Po pinched Shifu's skin on his back to improve his blood circulation. The red panda listened to him in silence when Po took a short break and continued.

"Soon, I got bigger and now besides my everlasting hunger, I started to have problems with my personal hygiene, the others often laughed at me because I stank, and well.. they were right. They just didn't know that I didn't have any place big enough to wash myself, just imagine taking a bath in a pot smaller than you." Po smiled a little. "I could of course go to the river, but only in summer. I've always been too sensitive to cold water..

I left the school and started working at the Noodle Shop with my father. We used to raise money to rebuild our small bathroom for a few years, but everytime something happened and we needed to spend our money on something else, for example on medicines when my dad got sick."

Shifu noticed that Po indeed had stopped stinking when he had moved into the Palace and had the big bath at his disposal. He felt terribly ashamed when he remembered what he had told him during their first meeting. He was exactly like those children back then. And it was so ironic that Po was the person who was now caring for the red panda's hygiene... in his own bath.

"I'm sorry..." he said with his chin still resting on his palms. "I didn't know.."

"It's all right." Po replied, guessing what the red panda was referring to. "Like you said- you didn't know.. So, if you're asking me how it is possible that I don't have any true friends in the village, let me ask you another question: have you ever had a feeling that you can't change something no matter how many times you try, no matter how much work you put into it? I've never been able to find any friends because I've always been _me_. I can buy a bigger bath, I can get an ancient scroll and save everyone, but it will never make people love me for the person I am. It's like there was always something wrong with you."

Shifu indeed could understand what it was like to be unable to change something really annoying despite hundreds of times when he tried.. he didn't reply; Po's problems were too old and complicated to help him in a few sentences. He didn't want the panda to feel bad after confiding in him and wondered what to tell him, when Po understood his silence differently. He assumed that Shifu didn't want to know anything more about him and his problems, that he didn't care, because his own life was complicated enough. So he decided to change the topic. He lifted him by the arms and sat him up, resting the small panda's back against his stomach.

"I've just remembered.. you haven't been in the Hall of Warriors since the fight."

Shifu closed his eyes, remembering the mentioned place. He had been there thousands of times before, yet now he could only remember the last time when Tai had almost killed him, the leopard's glare and his steely determination to crush his throat, their hard talk, the pain, his guilt and that horrible darkness after which he had woken up imprisoned in his own broken body. No, it was too much.

"I don't want to see that place ever again." he stated quietly, gazing at the windows. It was getting dark outside.

Po embraced him very gently and sighed. "I know that it's hard for you, but the Hall of Warriors is a part of your home and I want you to feel good here, so I must warn you: I'll do everything to help you enter that place without fear."

"I'm hungry." the red panda said to drag Po's thoughts away from that topic. He knew that when Po insisted on something, it was almost impossible to make him give up. Fortunately, it was dinnertime.

"Huh?" Po's stomach agreed that it would be nice to eat something at last. "You're right.. I'll check if someone cooked dinner."

He picked up the red panda and laid him on the bed, resting his head on a fluffy pillow. Po made sure that the small master didn't need anything and he left the room afterwards.

Shifu loved the way Po picked him up and set his body in comfortable positions. He always did that in such a gentle manner, with such care and... love. So since the first day of his care the red panda had always been replying to Po's dedication with his patience and thankfulness, trying never to complain (unless of course Po angered him greatly).

* * *

Before entering the barracks, Po felt amazing, delicious smell of dumplings with vegetables wafting in the evening air. He couldn't help but grin upon entering the kitchen, where the warriors were sitting at the table while Tigress was helping a goose servant and Crane was brewing tea.

"Po! Are you coming to take dinner for Master Shifu?" Viper asked with a smile.

"Yes.." the panda said, looking around the kitchen in order to find a bowl large enough to contain dumplings for two pandas.

"We've just been talking about him." Mantis spoke to him, sitting on the table. "Maybe you'll bring him here to eat with us?"

Po looked surprised. He could have gotten that idea himself... "It would be nice, but I'm not sure how he will react if I offer him that."

"Just try." Tigress said, smiling and putting two bowls of dumplings on the table. "Tell him that if he doesn't want to eat here today, he will go to sleep hungry tonight, because I won't allow you to take even one dumpling out of here." she added, trying to be serious and walking up to the countertop for another bowls while the servant left the kitchen.

Crane coughed, chuckling at her idea, because he was drinking his tea.

Monkey chuckled too. "You're going to starve our poor master to death."

"Woow," Po leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "I didn't know that Master Tigress can joke." he remembered that her unusual behaviour could have something to do with their talk under the Peach Tree. "OK. I'll ask him." Po smiled. "But I won't take any responsibility for his starvation!" he laughed, walking down the corridor.

"He won't come here." Mantis stated rather sadly, biting off a small piece of one of his dumplings.

Crane, Viper and Monkey saddened a little, but they didn't say anything.

* * *

"And whose idea is it?" Shifu asked. His ears had fallen on his head when he had heard that he wouldn't eat in his bedroom this time.

"Tigress's." the panda stated, grinning like an idiot for an unknown reason.

Shifu's ears perked up. In the first second he looked at the panda in disbelief, then he chuckled. "Tigress's? Really?" _My little girl..._ he couldn't stop his chuckle for a good moment and meanwhile, Po was losing his patience.

"Ooh, Master, please, don't be like that!" We're laughing here while our dumplings are cooling down in the kitchen!"

Shifu cleared his throat. "Am I saying that I won't go?" the red panda sighed. He didn't want to spoil their meal with his pitiful appearance. "All right then, if they insist."

* * *

Po entered the kitchen with Master Shifu sitting in his arms. The red panda was wrapped loosely in his thinnest blanket and only his head was sticking out of it. Broad smiles appeared on the warriors' faces when they saw their master.

Po sat down at the table close to the door and sat Shifu on his lap like a child. There were seven bowls of delicious, steaming dumplings on the table and seven cups of black tea. The windows were open and the refreshing evening air was getting into the kitchen, while the warriors were eating and talking like a family again, Shifu didn't seem to be annoyed or embarrassed by his condition. He smiled almost all the time, although Po needed to feed him in the other's presence, help him drink and held his chin, protecting his head from falling. To Shifu, that dinner was like their meeting when Viper's dad had arrived.

The warm weather made them all tired, so soon after the meal, the pandas returned to the Grand Master's chambers, while the other warriors went back to their rooms or to the village...

* * *

The evening was very warm and nice, thousands of beautiful stars were shining in the dark blue sky, orange and red lanterns were still lit around the arena. Po passed the Palace, pressing Shifu's head to his fur and hoping that the red panda wasn't thinking of the Hall in that moment. He knew that he shouldn't be overprotective and it would be better if his master faced the past and free himself from it. The sooner the better...

They entered the bedroom. It was dark in there, but fortunately Po knew that room very well. He sat Shifu down on his bed and rested the limp body against his pillows. Po took the candle from his night stand and left the room to light it from one of the lanterns. After a short moment the panda returned with the candle lighting the dark and he was happy to see that the smile was still visible in the small master's expression despite all his problems. Shifu felt happy indeed whenever he could meet his students and see once again that they weren't willing to abandon him. After all those years they had spent together he couldn't imagine his life without even one them.

"I'm glad that you ate the dinner with us." Po said, putting the candle on the night stand and took a small, white nightshirt out of the drawer in the table.

"You don't have to talk about it as if it were a feat." Shifu said, when Po knelt down beside the bed and started to unwrap the blanket to take the brown robe off the small panda. "It's always a pleasure to see them. And you too of course." he added quickly, trying hard to stop grinning. And again, he noticed that being undressed by the panda wasn't hard to stand for him. Instead of that, it was somehow.. funny and amusing. Perhaps Po had made a little exhibitionist out of him...

Po placed the nightshirt on Shifu's head so that only his ears were sticking out from the robe and he pulled it down, he put the red panda's hands into the sleeves afterwards. "Good that you see things this way, because don't even think that I forgot about the Hall of Warriors."

Shifu rolled his eyes. "I told you something about that place before the dinner, didn't I?" he asked and his voice betrayed slight annoyance.

Po picked the red panda up once again and laid him down in the bed comfortably, resting his head on the soft pillows. "I understand that looking at that place is hard for you, but it must be horrible to sleep in a neighbouring room," Po covered the red panda to the chest with his light blanket. "...but it's a part of your home and an important place in your life. I can give you some time so that you can get used to the idea of entering the Hall, because I believe that you should face the past. Otherwise you'll never find.."

"...peace?" Shifu finished, frowning at the panda. "Don't tell me what to do. I've already gone through the hardest mental gymnastics, trying not to lose my mind and survive in these sick circumstances, so if you don't understand a simple 'no' from your master then just... leave me alone, Panda."

Po completely lost his confidence, seeing the change in Shifu's mood. His smile disappeared to be replaced by mild confusion. "Sorry, I just thought that you should get back that.. place..." he explained, staring into the blanket.

"Go to your room, let me sleep." the red panda demanded and looked away at the wall.

The giant panda pulled the master's hands from under the blanket and put them onto the soft cloth. He stood up and blew out the candle. "Good night, Master." he said in the dark, but the red panda didn't reply, staring stubbornly at the wall through the thin thread of the candle smoke.

* * *

Po was going back to the barracks, thinking again of the mistakes he had made which caused Shifu's bad mood again. _Is the idea of coming back to the Hall of Warriors so bad?_ he wondered passing some trees. But he was confident that he had to give Master Shifu another task to keep his will to live at all costs. _It is my fault that he's suffering. I have to help him free himself from that pain. To give him happiness..._

He entered the building in which the warriors had their private rooms and stepped into the corridor, still being deep in his thoughts.

It wasn't dark there, Viper's room was lighted by a lamp and some merry voices were coming from there. Po's mind wandered to their first meditation after the _fight_. He remembered with surprise that strange weakness when he embraced the red panda and that peculiar dream in which he was able to see everything with his eyes closed. The next memory that emerged was their meditation in the water that day and Po saw that wonderful light_, _he literally _felt _it again, walking now down the corridor towards his door. _He was so..._

* * *

A loud, dull thud resounded in the corridor, when Monkey, Mantis and Viper were playing checkers in her room. The warriors laughed when they heard the noise, for they had heard Po's squeaking steps on the wooden floor.

"Po, are you OK?" Monkey asked when their laughter finally died away after the panda's fall.

After a moment when Po still wasn't replying and no sound came from the corridor, their grins fell and they slowly stood up, forgetting about the checkerboard. Monkey opened the door, a confused look on his face, the insect and the snake went out of the room and the three warriors saw the big shape of the panda's body lying still in the corridor.

Mantis rushed up to him and pressed his hands against the panda's nose lying on the floor. "Po, wake up! What happened?"

Viper and Monkey approached the panda, who cracked his eyes open and let out a loud breath. "..wait, I'll make something.. to eat for you..."

The warriors looked at one another worriedly. Monkey lifted Po's arm without thinking, trying to pick him up. "Help me, we need to carry him to his room." he said to the other warriors.

They tried to do their best; Mantis lifted his another paw, Viper wrapped her tail around Po's right leg, but no matter how hard they tried, they weren't able to move the panda more than a few centimetres away from there. And to make things worse, Crane and Tigress were now in the village, checking if everything was OK there.

"Po. PO!" Monkey called, making the panda open his eyes. "You have to help us, we can't carry you to your bed."

The green warriors asked chaotically. "What happened? Did you hit your head?"

"Huh?.." Po tried to remember his fall, but it was too pleasant to just lie there like a dead bear and drown in the peaceful light. "No.. I'm just sleepy..." he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

"PO!" Monkey shouted, clapping his hands loudly in front of his panda friend's face. "Wake up!"

The panda sighed in annoyance and lifted his body; he slowly started to crawl on his paws and knees towards his room in the end of the corridor, head hung low. Monkey, Mantis and Viper watched him in shock; they couldn't understand what might have happened that the panda now looked as though he had just defeated a whole army on his own. They knew that Po had a lot of responsibilities now, but just a moment ago, when they had been eating dinner with their master, he had looked quite normal, so what was going on?

Po opened the door leading to his room and crawled inside, leaving the door open. The warriors walked up to his room too and saw Po lying now in his bed.

"Monkey.." Viper whispered not to wake up the panda. "Open the window, he needs some fresh air."

The simian leaned down over the sleeping panda, he cracked the window open and left it ajar.

"We should bring a doctor.." Mantis whispered, looking at Po worriedly.

They felt a sense of guilt when they were looking at their friend. They should have done something more for him, but Po had said clearly that he would manage with caring for Shifu. They only had to keep themselves in good form and be understanding for the red panda.

Someone entered the corridor and they heard a muffled yawn coming from there. Tigress and Crane returned from their patrol and were quite bored, it seemed that the heat had tired every bandit in the region too. They looked at the warriors standing in the door leading to the panda's room, but before they could say anything, Mantis whispered to them.

"Crane, bring Po some tea."

"What for?" the bird asked instinctively, but upon Mantis' next gesture he turned back and went to the kitchen.

Tigress entered Po's room and looked at the giant panda lying still in his bed.

"He fainted in the corridor." Viper whispered the explanation to the female.

It hurt the feline and her smile disappeared if she had been smiling a moment before. She sat down beside the panda on the edge of the bed, but then Crane came in quietly and handed her a cup of tea. The warriors left the room to tell Crane what had happened and to let Po rest.

Tigress pulled Po by the arm and when he finally sat up with his eyes still closed, she touched the edge of the cup to his mouth. "Drink it, the tea is cold."

The panda drank up the tea in a few quick gulps and laid down on his left side again. Tigress watched him with a sad expression like the warriors had a moment before, but Po seemed to fall asleep in a few seconds. "You should have told me that you needed help.." she said clutching his arm, but he didn't reply. She didn't even know whether the panda heard her or not.

Tigress opened the window wider before she left the panda warrior in his room and closed the door quietly.

The rest of the Five had gone to the kitchen, the feline noticed the lit lamp in Viper's open, empty room. The warriors were talking quietly at the kitchen table when she entered.

"What do you think? Should we bring a doctor here?" Monkey asked her.

The feline sighed, thinking of the answer. "It looks like Po is very tired, there's no need to bring here a doctor through the Thousand Stairs now, it's late... It will be wiser to bring him here in the morning if Po's still feeling weak."

"You're right..." Crane said. "Po is a strong guy, we shouldn't overreact."

The warriors nodded their heads slightly, they were very tired because of the heat, their training and the latest events.

"What about Master Shifu?" Tigress's eyes widened when she remembered the red panda. "Have you checked on him? Did Po want to go back to his room before going to sleep?"

"I knew that we had forgotten about something.." Mantis muttered.

* * *

A quiet _knock knock knock_ surprised the red panda, who was lying in the bed in his dark chamber. He wasn't sleepy, although he had said that to the panda. Po had just annoyed him again. The red panda rolled his eyes. _One more word about the Hall of Warriors and I'll stand up and kick him out of the Jade Palace..._

Someone cracked the door open and the feline entered the dark room. "Master Shifu? I'm sorry to bother you.." she said and he look at Tigress with wide eyes. "I'm coming to ask if you need anything."

Shifu looked confused and said the only thing that came to his mind in that moment. "No, thank you, but why do you ask? Po has put me to bed. Did something happen?"

Tigress walked up towards the bed, she considered whether she should tell Master Shifu what had happened; she didn't want to worry him, but eventually, she decided that lies would only make things worse. She sighed and began. "I needed to ask, because I couldn't get any information out of him. I'll take care of you in the next few days.."

Shifu's eyes widened as his heart sank. He started to regret what he had told Po. _Has he taken my words to heart so much? Panda.. Oh Gods, have I just made you leave the Jade Palace?!  
_

"It seems that Po is overtired... he fainted in the corridor." Tigress added.

"What?!" the expression on the red panda's face changed, he was shocked and alarmed. "Where is he now?!"

"Please Master, calm down. He's asleep in his room. We gave him something to drink." she tried to calm him, but the red panda didn't even think of being calm.

"Tigress, take me to his room!" Shifu demanded, looking at the feline with his big pleading eyes. "I want to see him!"

Now she looked at him confused. "But he's sleeping right now.."

"There's a big pillow in the lower drawer in the wardrobe," he said as if he hadn't heard her. "take it out of there and lay me on it in his room."

The feline didn't argue anymore, she quickly walked over towards the wardrobe in the corner of the room and pulled out the big, thick pillow which had been resting in the drawer since no one knew when, then she laid it on the bed.

She pulled the blanket off the red panda and laid Shifu carefully on the big pillow, she picked it up and left the bedroom, carrying the red panda in her arms.

* * *

Tigress entered the dark corridor lighted only by the orange lamp in Viper's room. The warriors were in there now and they were surprised to see the feline carrying their master on a big pillow. The red panda realised that he hadn't been in the barracks since...

"Master Shifu?.." someone asked quietly.

"Monkey, help me open Po's door." she whispered to the simian warrior, who then left the room without hesitation to help her.

She came into the panda's room and leaned down to put the pillow on the middle of the floor. She hesitated for a moment, but she eventually turned carefully Shifu's head so that he could see the panda, who was still asleep in the same position.

"You need to get some rest, too." the small panda whispered. "Leave me here."

"Are you sure, Master?" Tigress asked once again.

Shifu looked at the giant panda sleeping in the dark and heard his slow breath. Now he knew everything. "I'm sure."

* * *

It was late at night after Tigress and Monkey had left the two pandas in the room, but the older master still wasn't sleepy. He could only briefly look around Po's quarters and noticed that the student's room was almost... empty. It quickly came to his mind that Po had not had enough time to bring his things from his home, besides, he rarely spent time there, and when he did stay there, he did it only to sleep.

_So you were right... _Shifu thought, gazing at the panda sleeping in the moonlight. _I am selfish.._ He knew that he would never forgive himself if it turned out that he was the reason of Po's exhaustion.

The panda moved slightly and turned over onto his right side, he tucked his nose into his pillow. He was feeling better after the nap and his eyes involuntarily cracked open a little. Then Po noticed the familiar shape of the red panda's head in the moonlight.

"Master Shifu?... What are you doing here?" he whispered, looking down in confusion at the master lying on the pillow, because he had immediately noticed that his blue eyes were open.

"I couldn't leave my friend who stayed with me when I needed him.." Shifu whispered in answer.

_Friend?..._ Po asked in his mind, staring at the small panda astonished, for the conversation was too unreal to him. Then he remembered their talk about his lack of friends and his spirit fell. "You don't have to say that only to make me feel better.." the panda whispered, not to wake up the Five.

He saw a small confident smile on the red panda's face when he replied. "I'm old enough to know what _friendship _is."

Po didn't know what to say, Shifu noticed in the blue moonlight that the panda was staring at him from the pillow wide eyes and apparently something very important and significant was happening in the younger panda's soul. _Friendship...? I've never had... my friend?..._

"Po." Shifu whispered, when he remembered something important. "You can always take a few days off to rest or to stay at your home in the village."

His words make the giant panda shake the astonishment off his mind. "What about your 'humiliation'?" he asked, smiling a little.

"I'll manage somehow."

The panda pondered on it for a moment, but quickly decided. "I don't need any break."

"Nobody faints for no reason." Shifu remarked. "I'm worried about you."

The panda reached out his hand and pulled the big pillow slowly closer to his bed. "I know when I'm tired. And I wasn't overtired when I passed out. It was... something wonderful."

Shifu looked at the panda confused. "What do you mean?"

Po smiled to himself when he felt sleepy for real this time. "It was peace."

* * *

**(A.N.) This story is starting to resemble the song Breathe me - Sia. But despite what Oogway would say, it's an accident...  
**


	11. Rays of sunshine

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Another few weeks passed and days had become a little more colder and less sunny, but the weather still could make one smile. Mr. Ping had visited Shifu a few times, but only for a short while, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable and every time he brought a small meal for the red panda from his shop. Master Shifu could finally meet the goose who made 'the best noodle soup in the world' and started to like him. His visits made him wonder who Po's mother and father had been. The panda seemed to love the goose and respect him much, and although Shifu had known that there lived one giant panda in the Valley of Peace, now he regretted that he hadn't tried to become acquainted with him before. He had never liked gossips and he had seen Po only a few times (from a distance) before he had joined the Palace; and every time the panda only had annoyed him. Well, those had been the times when Shifu's proud was consuming him.

It was the afternoon exercises time and Po and Shifu were now in the panda's room in the barracks. Shifu had insisted on doing exercises in that particular room, looking constantly at his own chambers had tired him; besides, since that evening when Po had fainted, for some reasons he had needed to visit from time to time that place where 'his Personal Panda' (as he humorously called him) slept. He had asked Po to bring some of his things to his new room and Po decided to hang some colourful pictures of himself with his goose father and the Five. Po wondered whether to hang a picture of his master or not, seeing such a thing could upset the red panda. But eventually, he hanged one of his two pictures of Master Shifu among the rest of the drawings. Shifu was surprised when he saw that drawing for the first time, for the red panda in it could... stand. But he never asked Po to take it off. Of course the Five laughed at Po that he needed images of them; he could see them all every day. But as Shifu guessed, those images brought Po back better memories. The panda had brought a small table into his room too and put there shurikens he had bought one day, a candle and some other things.

So Shifu was lying on the big pillow in the middle of the room and Po was sitting beside him, helping him move his legs in a bicycle motion. Because the other warriors were not in the barracks at that moment, Shifu decided to raise the issue that had been troubling him lately.

"You've never told me anything about your parents..." the red panda began, staring at the ceiling as always during the rehabilitation.

Po raised his eyebrows and smiled a little. "Never? You've met my dad and you know that he owns a restaurant on the main street."

Shifu started to worry that he had touched a painful topic, but because Po didn't mind, he continued. "I mean your _real_ parents."

"Real?.." the panda sent Shifu a really puzzled look. "Mr. Ping _is_ my real dad."

Shifu didn't ask any question for a short moment when Po started to exercise his toes this time. Something started to confuse him in the panda's look. _Does he... really think that the goose is his biological father?_ However unbelievable that thought was, the red panda couldn't rule it out. Po was always so... innocent.

"Po," he asked again. "do you know where children come from?"

The panda blushed. He literally blushed and looked away. "They... hatch from eggs..."

Shifu felt as if something had hit him right in the brain. But then he realised that Po was right... in a way. Little ducklings or goslings did hatch from eggs, but...

"And you think that little pandas hatch from eggs too?" Shifu asked carefully.

"Uhm.. yes." Po admitted, surprised a little. "Dad told me so."

Shifu's eyes widened in shock. _It... can't be possible that he hasn't been told the facts of life yet... _No, that was just too unreal, even though the panda looked now rather abashed. _How old is he?_

"It's a joke." Shifu asked, or rather stated unbelievingly.

Po couldn't help and let his lips widen in a big smile as he laughed. "Admit that I was convincing."

The red panda let out a sigh of relief, chuckling. "For a second I really believed that I had let rehabilitate me someone who didn't even know how to... you know.."

Po chuckled. "I KNOW." he nodded vigorously.

"So.." Shifu returned to the subject. "If you actually don't think that Mr. Ping is your biological father... May I ask you what happened to your parents?"

Po got up and sat down again behind the red panda. He pulled him into a sitting position this time and rested him against his chest. He started to move his head very gently and carefully to the left and right, up and down. "I don't know." he confessed. Fortunately Shifu couldn't see his face anymore. Po rarely thought of his parents, but sometimes he felt like crying, realising that he didn't know anything about his family. "I've never talked with my dad about them. He hasn't told me that I'm adopted yet, but you know... I understood it with time when I saw pigs with piglets, geese with goslings, sheep with lambs and nobody with little pandas..."

Shifu saddened, although he knew how Mr. Ping and Po loved each other. And he felt a few tears in his eyelids. "Maybe Mr. Ping knows something about your parents?"

"It's possible... But I'm not sure if I want to know..." Po explained quietly. "What if he tells me that they didn't want me? Or that they knew that something was wrong with me and they preferred to abandon me at somebody's doorstep? Or maybe my mother was just raped and it's the only reason that I was born? Or they were both killed..." The panda sighed. "Would you want to know?"

The master pondered over the question for a long while when Po rested his head against his chest and started to move his shoulders. "The answer may be painful, but you could find the rapists... or the killers and avenge your parents."

"Without you? It wouldn't be so funny." Po said with a smile to change the subject. "Hey Master, I think you need to have your whiskers trimmed."

"Huh?"

Po pulled the pillow towards the wall and rested the red panda's back against it. "Really, they are way too long, your claws too." he said, examining Shifu's left paw.

"Maybe... I completely forgot about them." Shifu admitted when Po stood up.

"Wait a minute, I'll bring some nail tools." the panda offered and left the room quickly.

"Well, OK..." Shifu said, looking at the panda, who closed the door.

It felt surprisingly good to stay alone in the panda's room at least for a moment and Shifu looked around although it wasn't too easy considering the immobility in his neck. He saw a picture of Mr. Ping and little Po; both smiling at him from the wall. To the right and left of it, there were images of Mantis and Crane. Closer to the corner of the room, there was also a big picture of Master Viper (from the Jade Palace) on a red background, the tattoos on her back were visible. Po didn't have any image of Master Oogway and to tell the truth, Shifu had no idea why. Maybe such things were too rare, maybe Po thought that he wasn't skilled enough to draw such a picture. Maybe he was afraid that the Grand Master wouldn't want it, or maybe to Po, the painting in the Hall of Warriors was something good enough?... Shifu couldn't see the pictures of Tigress, Monkey and himself, for they were hanging on the wall he was now resting against. Well, maybe it was better. Those times when he could walk and fight would never return. Fortunately, before Shifu could think once again that he wasn't a warrior anymore, Po returned with a small pair of scissors and a nail file.

"Don't trim them too much." he said when Po sat down in front of him again and put the scissors to his whiskers. "I don't want to look like a teenager." he added, what earned him a chuckle from the panda.

Two cuts and Shifu's whiskers looked 'awesome' again, as Po said. He trimmed his goatee a little too and started to file his nails carefully...

* * *

Later that day after another changing, Shifu was sitting under the branches of the Peach Tree, meditating, while Po was trying to do Tai Chi forms. The red panda was wrapped in a light, creamy blanket, he had insisted on covering his body again, but Po had made sure that there were some empty spaces here and there in the blanket wrapping the small master. He couldn't overheat him, he was sure that it was still warm, even for a small, unmoving panda.

The slow, monotonous moves of the panda's body were lulling; Shifu smiled, enjoying the perfect silence, but his eyes opened wider when he noticed some mistakes. "Po, what are you doing?" he couldn't help but ask. In general, he couldn't stop himself from talking to the panda lately.

"It's Tai Chi..." Po answered with his eyes still closed.

"No, it's not.." Shifu began.

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's..." Shifu said, but he realised that he had just let Po draw him into another ridiculous game. "Panda! Stop arguing with me!"

Po turned his head towards the village to hide his satisfied smile before finishing the form. Shifu had no idea how Po was glad that the red panda could still react in that way. He looked at the master again.

"Feet straight," he continued when the panda did so. "bend your knees slightly, OK, bring your hands up and start again."

Po started to do his favourite forms, trying not to feel his whole body and control it better.

"Bring your left hand a little higher." Shifu said after seeing a few movements. "...don't stretch your legs too much.. Straight back, Po, remember." he said.

Then Po's moves became more fluent and correct with every next minute as his arms were moving calmly. He even started to feel much better. Much, much better...

"Good." Shifu remarked.

The panda finished the last form, exhaled and bowed low. "Thank you, Master." he smiled.

"Well, you're welcome..." Shifu's ears fell a little. He wished he could do some forms himself...

Po sat down on the ground in front of the red panda, who then eyed him confused. Po knew that Shifu would get angry again hearing his question, but... he knew what was important.

"Have you made a decision about the Hall of Warriors?"

Shifu saw those yellow eyes and felt Tai's claws when his eyes closed. _Again..._ "Yes. I don't want to see that place anymore, I told you." he opened his eyes and sent Po a determined look. "And never return to that subject, understand?"

"May I tell you what I think about it?" Po tried not to give up.

"No."

"I think that you're far more courageous than you think and you should face your greatest fear, because it's the only way to free you from the memories..."

Shifu sighed. "Shocking discovery."

"...I bet that you won't feel anything upon entering the Hall." Po continued.

The red panda chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure of it."

Po facepalmed helplessly. "I didn't mean _that_! You know.. when I told you that you weren't my master, I felt horrible fear because I couldn't know how you would react. But I told you everything what I needed to tell someone because it was the only right thing in that moment. And it turned out that it wasn't as bad as I had thought. Fear doubles all."

Shifu stared into the ground somewhere next to the panda. Po saw how deep he was in his thoughts. The small master remembered that night, of course. But he hadn't known that Po was so scared when he was telling him the truth about his problems. _No wonder, everybody fears rejection and jeer. _The truth was that Shifu knew that Po's words about fear were wise, but words were always easy to speak, how-to-do was entirely other story._  
_

"Why do you insist?" he asked finally. "Why do you want me so much to enter that place?"

"Because you are our Grand Master." the panda stated insolently. _Oh, how much I wanted to tell you that._ "And it is one of your duties."

Shifu's reaction was barely visible, he couldn't move, what was restricting his expressions. But Po could swear that he saw the red panda's eyes shine with tears a little. Suddenly the master's ears swiveled, he blinked a few times and sighed.

"You should go to the Training Hall, they're starting to spar again." he said.

Po didn't hear anything, but he looked around and saw Tigress standing in the courtyard with her arms crossed. "You scare me sometimes..." he said to the red panda. Po leaned towards him, but Shifu stopped him.

"Without me this time. I want to stay here."

Po was surprised by the idea. "Are you kidding? I can't leave you here."

"Why not? It's warm, sun isn't shining too brightly, the wind is very calm and it's not like someone will come here to hurt me." the red panda explained, he just wanted to be alone... for a while at least.

Po was considering whether he should agree, but the red panda helped him. "I'm not a child, Po. You wanted me to leave my chambers and I agreed. Now I'm asking you for working out a little and giving me some privacy."

"OK..." The panda sighed in defeat. "But I'll come back in a few minutes." he 'threatened'.

Po picked up the small panda again and fluffed his pillow. He sat him down back on it and rested Shifu's back and head comfortably against the tree trunk. The red panda looked calm and Po looked around one more time, he wasn't sure whether to leave the red panda there alone. Well, Shifu's arguments were quite sensible...

* * *

Tigress was still standing in the courtyard, waiting for the pandas. But only the lone figure of Po appeared there, heading towards her. She looked surprised. "And where is Shifu?.." she asked when Po approached her.

"He wanted to stay at the Peach Tree Hill."

The feline sent him a shocked, angry look. "And you've just left him there?! All alone?!"

Po sighed. "You know how stubborn he is. He insisted on getting some privacy. Shifu said that the weather was good and maybe he doesn't need our company today..." the panda explained. "Don't worry, I'll come back for him in a moment."

Tigress wasn't convinced, she looked again at the Tree and saw the tiny figure of the red panda sitting there peacefully. _Maybe he's right... What bad can happen?_ "I'm really irresponsible to listen to you." she sighed and shook her head and they went to the Training Hall.

* * *

Shifu sat on the fluffy pillow and meditated, focusing on the warm wind and quiet sounds coming from the village. But it weren't the streets what was making him feel so good now. He could clearly hear the sounds of the Five and the Dragon Warrior sparring and training in the Hall. Po appeared to forget to come back for the red panda and the small master was glad, because he wanted Po to train as often as it was possible. He wouldn't learn much after staying in the Training Hall 'for a few minutes', anyway. So Shifu sat and meditated, but something was distracting him... He couldn't realise what it was for a long moment and eventually he couldn't stand that strange... feeling.

_What is wrong with this hand? _Shifu thought annoyed and opened his eyes. He tried hard to look down at his right paw, it made his eyes hurt, for he couldn't bend his neck. Then he noticed a small spot of sunlight shining through the leaves and warming his hand, which had been pulled out of the blanket folds and rested on his knee by the giant panda.

He stared astonished at the paw being warmed by the sunrays. How was it possible that he could _feel_ that?


	12. The edge of my life

**I don't own any of KFP characters or locations.**

* * *

Warm days of early autumn had come to the Valley of Peace... It hadn't been raining since over two and a half months. Everyone in the Valley had had enough of the drought, but they could only wait for rain. Everyone at the Palace seemed to get used to the fact that Master Shifu was 'immobile'. Of course the villagers started to wonder why they hadn't happen to see him since _the fight_. Gossips about his paralysis had reached their ears and Monkey and Crane had to explain that the Grand Master was paralysed indeed, but the Palace functioned as always, the warriors trained and nothing threatened Shifu or the inhabitants. Fortunately, Master Shifu had seldom visited the village before the fight and the villagers eventually understood how much he prized his privacy; they stopped asking. The warriors didn't tell him that people had asked about his condition. They didn't want to put him under stress again or to make him feel somehow 'humiliated' or whatever Shifu understood by that.

* * *

Shifu sat now in his room alone after lunch and the afternoon exercise session. Po had left his chambers a few minutes earlier to take a break. The red panda had to sit and enjoy his momentary solitude and his thoughts wandered to the bamboo flute, which lay now on the windowsill. He hadn't been thinking of the instrument earlier since the _accident_. But now, when he was bored, he dreamed of playing even a short melody of at least of hearing some music. Who could play him something? Po's and Tigress's fingers were too big. Mantis and Crane didn't have any fingers at all, Viper didn't have even hands. Monkey... well, Monkey was a little tone-deaf.

The red panda's ears fell flat on his head.

Shifu remembered the strange feeling on his hand during his meditation. _Let's try... _He looked down at the right paw. He tried to bend his fingers. Nothing. One more time. Nothing again. After a few another tries his eyes closed tight, but it didn't help him feel the fingers better. As if his body were now somebody else's possession.

He decided to try once again and put into it more strenght.

So he tried again.

It. didn't. work.

The red panda sighed in defeat. Fortunately, he hadn't expected anything. He knew well: the exercises were only to keep him alive. Not to bring him back the ability to move.

* * *

Po sat on the stairs by the arena, staring at the cobblestone with his head rested on his arms. He should go to the shop to help his father at least a little, but the exercise sessions were really tiring. He closed his eyes for a second, but then someone's voice surprised him.

"Master Po.." Zeng appeared suddenly and sat down on the same stair beside the panda. It was visible that something worried him. Po looked at the goose and just waited for him to speak.

"The servants and I have been thinking of the broken stairs lately. We think that it's the high time to repair them... and the roof." the bird said.

Po eyed him a little surprised, but not because of the topic. The warriors, the Grand Master and even Po himself had gotten used to the destroyed image of the Jade Palace, but it needed rebuilding indeed. "Ehm... Sorry, but.. why are you talking with me about the repair? Shouldn't Tigress make some decision? I have no say in it."

Zeng laughed sheepishly. "Actually, as the Dragon Warrior, you have.. But that's not the point. I'm asking you, because you can really talk with Master Shifu and I just thought that he would rather not hear the noises when the workers would be repairing the roof in the Hall of Warriors..." Zeng explained. "After all this work you have done to help him feel better, it would only make his memories come back..."

Po nodded when he started to understand. "You want me to take him somewhere far from the Palace?"

"Just for one day." the goose smiled.

"What about money? Repairing the marble stairs... wait, what do we need to repair? The stairs in front of the Hall, the roof, the Moon Pool..." the panda's heart sank. "We'll need tons of yuan!"

"No, no. Don't worry about the money." Zeng shook his head and waved away the worries. " The Jade Palace is wealthy enough. The only problem is how to keep Master Shifu away from home as long as it's necessary."

Po smiled when another awesome idea came to his mind. "Summon the geese to the courtyard. We need to talk something over."

* * *

After not longer than a few minutes, the panda gathered the warriors, Zeng and the servants in the Training Hall courtyard to make sure that Master Shifu would not hear their talk. Po presented them his idea: he was planning to take Master Shifu on a trip to the Wudang Mountains while the weather was still warm and great. He explained them that while they would be sitting and meditating at the Sacred Pool of Tears, the hired workers would have at least a few hours to bring the building materials, organize the work and repair the broken stairs as well as the holes in the roof.

The warriors and the geese liked the idea very much and were eager to help with the works. Of course they decided not to tell Shifu about their plans. Po felt that Zeng was right telling about the memories coming back. After the initial explanation, Po had to return to the Grand Master's chambers. The servants, Zeng and the Five stayed in the courtyard to talk over the details of the plan.

* * *

Po entered Shifu's bedroom, smiling excitedly after the meeting. The red panda was still sitting in the bed, his face sad and his ears were still lying on his head. He expected that Po had come to take him to the Training Hall, but today, he wasn't in the mood. Po saw his downcast look.

"What is this sad expression?" the panda asked, sitting down on the edge of the big bed.

Shifu just sighed. "Nothing... I've just realised that I would never play the flute or hear it's music again." he answered dully.

The panda looked at the instrument resting on the window sill. _That's true..._ He had been wondering how to convince the red panda to let him take him on the trip, when thankfully, that bamboo-flute-matter emerged. "I don't want you to feel unhappy."

"And..?" Shifu asked, still looking sad.

Po smiled at the master. "What would you say if I offered you a trip to the Wudang Mountains in the next few days?"

"Really?" the red panda's ears shot up, he looked at Po shocked, but with hope. "Would you do that? For me?"

"I told you - anything for you, Master." the giant panda grinned. "So.. would you like to see the Sacred Pool of Tears?"

"Of course!" the small panda smiled finally, forgetting about the flute. "Of course, I'd love to see it, but how?.."

"It's my problem how to organize it." Po assured, excited that Shifu hadn't refused this time.

The red panda couldn't help but grin and look at Po gratefully.

"...but now - would you like to meditate at the Peach Tree Hill?" Po asked, although he knew that the answer would sound 'yes!'.

* * *

Po had changed Shifu quickly in the bedroom and it had been almost an hour since they had started their meditation. Po had made sure that the Five and the geese weren't talking in the courtyard now, then he laid a thick blanket on the ground in front of the Peach Tree and the red panda dressed in his robe and wrapped in some thinner blanket on it. He had lay down beside the small master and they meditated, listening to the leaves rustling quietly on the soft wind.

The air was still warm, although it smelled of autumn more with every day. Shifu didn't think of the Five's training this time. And Po couldn't take him to the Training Hall now, the warriors and the servants had to plan the repairs. Shifu lay, taking deep breaths and smiling with his eyes closed. He wasn't sure what the reason was, but he felt... happy. It was Peace, it was Freedom. He was now somewhere far in the sky, although his body was lying under the branches of the Peach Tree, the wind was soft and warm, and his panda was lying right beside him.

"I can feel it." Shifu whispered with his eyes closed, enjoying the bliss.

The panda opened his eyes in surprise, he rolled onto his stomach and rested his head on his paws. "What?... What do you feel?"

"Everything..." he heard the quiet answer. "The Universe around me..."

Despite Shifu's disability, to Po, the red panda was so beautiful, he was so perfect. Po gazed at the him in fascination and he could swear that there was the same wonderful light flying around him like in those moments when they meditated together.

And he felt a strong desire to have at least a bit of that peace too.

Suddenly Shifu felt a wave of shock run down his whole body. Some shadow hovered over his face and Po gently pressed his lips to his. His eyes snapped open and he could only stare up in a complete daze at the panda kissing him.

Po pulled himself away slowly, seeing that the red panda was totally stupefied. He sat back down on the blanket, surprised by his own behaviour as much as the small master and wondered what to say for a good moment. Po blushed in utter panic when he understood that he had just done something very, very stupid and bad.

"Forgive me, Master." he said quietly and stood up quickly only to rush up to the edge of the Hill and when he was walking down the stairs, he heard Shifu's shout behind him.

"Po, I can't walk!"

He came back quickly. "Sorry. I forgot." Po mumbled quietly and picked up the small panda. Shifu didn't say anything more when Po carried him down the stairs like a little child again, the panda never looked at the master, he walked so fast that Shifu was afraid that they would fall from the Hill, fortunately it didn't happen.

Viper was standing in front of the Hall of Warriors and soon, she saw Po cross the arena, the stairs leading to the Jade Palace and the terrace. The panda didn't even seem to see her.

When the pandas were in the Grand Master's chambers again, Po laid the red panda on the bed and just... left the room hurriedly without a word. He wasn't caring anymore, he hadn't ask him if the red panda needed anything, he hadn't laid him in some more comfortable position, he just... exited the chamber.

Shifu didn't know whether he was more shocked now or there at the Peach Tree Hill. _What the hell has just happened?_

* * *

Po left the terrace and stopped in front of the Hall of Warriors when he ran across Viper, who looked at him curiously.

"Po? Is something wrong?" she asked in a suspicious tone. "You were hurrying so much that you didn't even notice me. Did you argue with Shifu again?"

"No, I just remembered that I had promised to help my dad in the kitchen today. He's surely waiting for me right now." the panda explained, but the snake saw his nervousness. "Please, check if Master Shifu needs anything. I must go." the panda explained and ran downstairs, heading to the gate.

Viper watched him leave surprised, but she eventually slithered to the terrace and towards the chambers.

Shifu still lay confused on the bed, thinking of what the panda had just done.

_Was that another prank?... Or a joke?... Or what?.. Maybe he'll return in a moment to tell me..._

But then, after a short knocking, Viper entered. "Master Shifu, I'm coming to ask if you need anyt..."

"Where is he?" the red panda asked immediately.

"Po had to go to the restaurant and.."

_Ooh, no..._ Shifu furrowed his eyebrows when he felt anger. _So now he's going to make fun of me, run away and send Viper here? _"PANDAAA! COME BACK HERE!"

"Master, he's not at the Palace," Viper tried to calm him down. "He ran straight to the village, I think that something has worried him, he seemed to be very absent-minded."

Shifu arched his eyebrow in confusion. "Really?.." he started to cool off. It finally came to his mind that the kiss hadn't been a prank and whatever the reason of that kiss was, Po was surely feeling terribly lost and guilty. The red panda understood that the worst thing he could do now would be shouting at him and demanding an explanation. "I don't need anything right now." he said calmly. "Just tell Po that I'd like to talk with him when he's back."

"Yes, Master." Viper replied, confused again, this time by the red panda's strange behaviour. She bowed and left the chamber.

* * *

Po was descending the Thousand Stairs and he was about to make his way towards the Noodle Shop when he suddenly stopped and put his paw on his face as he remembered the blanket he had left on the Peach Tree Hill during their hurried exit. He turned around with a sigh and ran towards the Hill. After a short visit there, he entered the village, holding the blanket rolled up under his armpit.

The lights of the later afternoon were getting more red and orange. There weren't too many people in the streets, apparently, the warm weather had tired them. Po entered the restaurant. Fortunately, there was only some very old female bunny sitting at the table in the corner close to the countertop. She was eating her noodles slowly and didn't even notice Po's appearance. Po rushed into the kitchen and closed the door with a sigh of relief.

Mr. Ping, who was there, washing the dishes unhurriedly, got scared by the noise. "Po? What happened?" he asked, turning his head to his son.

The panda looked at him, trying to pretend that nothing had happened at all. "I thought that you might need some help."

The goose stopped what he was doing and sent the panda a suspicious look. "You're late, I'm closing in a few minutes. And there weren't too many clients today..." he added a little reproachfully.

And that was true; the inhabitants had noticed that the old goose, who now worked completely all by himself, ran his shop with more difficulty than ever before although he always did his best. The clients couldn't see the famous panda too often there, instead of that, they had to wait for their meals longer than ever. Many of them were so disappointed that they stopped visiting that place.

"Well, I can wash the rest of the dishes." Po offered immediately. "Viper is now looking after Shifu so I can finally help you a little."

Mr. Ping wiped his wings in a cloth and watched as Po put the thing he had carried in on the floor. "And what is this blanket?" he asked, when Po walked up to the sink and started to wash the bowls in it.

Po had no idea what to say. "Ehm.. I'm going.. to meditate on it."

"Here."

"Master Shifu says that we should try meditation in various places, so I'm going to try in my room today." the panda explained, happy that something sensible had finally come to his mind.

The goose shook his head and went upstairs with a sigh.

* * *

It was very late afternoon when Po sat in his room in Mr. Ping's home. His dad thought that Po was now meditating, but obviously, the truth was different. Po had sat down against the wall and stared at the window, at the walls and his bed. At first, he was scared to death by what he had done, but now, when he had been thinking of it for a longer moment, he remembered that it wasn't the first and the last time when he had angered Shifu.

_He shouldn't be too furious, it was only a kiss... and a very soft one. _he tried to comfort himself. He clutched the blanket tighter in his arms.

_What if he asks me why I did that? _Now the panda started to wonder why actually he had kissed him. _It was so natural, I thought that it wasn't anything wrong..._

_Maybe I just... love him? _Po stared into the space.

_It's quite possible, he's awesome, he's wise, he's funny, he's beautiful and he's... my friend._ He sighed and rested his head on his arms.

_I can't lose you._

Po stood up and started to leave the house quietly. He decided that he would just apologize to the master and if it was necessary, he would beg him on his knees not to throw him out of the Jade Palace.

* * *

It was getting dark when Po was walking up the Thousands Stairs, holding the blanket under his armpit again and finally, when he was about to reach the top, he saw Viper standing in front of the gate.

"Are you waiting for me?" he asked the snake, looking a bit surprised.

"Yes." she answered, eying him curiously. "And no. Master Shifu's waiting for you. He said that he would like to talk with you about something."

Po took a deep breath. He was already enough stressed. "Is he very angry?" he asked, expecting the worst answer.

"Not really. Did something happen between you two at the Peach Tree Hill? I'm asking, because you've been behaving really strange since your meditation and I'm worried." she explained.

Po blinked a few times, looking at Viper. "No. Nothing wrong happened. Sorry, but I have to go." he said and made his way towards the gate.

"Girls aren't blind, Po." she said when he was entering the arena, leaving her on the top of the Stairs. "If you need to talk, you know where to find me."

He left her there and she wondered if the panda even remembered about the trip and the repair.

* * *

Shifu lay in his bed, in the same position Po had left him in and he was now thinking of his panda's feelings. Was he in love? Why was that kiss so shocking but also wonderful? What was the reason of that kiss? He didn't know. But he knew what he didn't want to lose his panda, not the one who could take him to the Wudang Mountains, not the only person who could give him such peace, not the only one who could make him laugh and feel safe again, not the panda who was his definitely best friend.

Someone knocked on the door. The door slowly opened with a quiet squeak and he could see the big silhouette of the giant panda entering the chamber. Po held a lamp lightening the dark, he put the blanket on the floor somewhere in the corner of the room. He approached the small master slowly, put the lamp on the night table and after a short thought, he started to speak.

"Master Shifu, I just want to say that I'm very sorry for.. _that.._ and promise that it will never happen again." Po stated, but the red panda looked at him and he couldn't believe that it was Po who had spoken. He didn't want his panda to act like that, as if he had commited a murder.

"Po," Shifu sighed, wondering what to say. "I want to tell you something too." he began, when Po was looking at him and his heart was pounding with fear. "I'm not angry. It's OK and... I missed you today."

Po chuckled, wiping a small tear of joy. "Really? And you don't want me to leave?"

"No." Shifu smiled and chuckled too. "But now, undress me, I need to go to sleep. It's a very uncomfortable position."

Po smiled as he knelt down beside the bed and quickly started to take the blanket and the robe off the red panda. He laid the unnecessary things on the bed and took a fresh nightshirt out of the drawer, as always. They didn't know, but in that moment both Shifu and Po wished they could spend the rest of their lives in that moment of the evening. Po dressed the small master and pulled his hands through the sleeves. When Shifu was ready to sleep, Po laid his head on the soft pillows and covered him to the chin with his blanket, while the red panda stared at him fascinated all the time.

"You haven't eaten dinner." Po remembered, standing up. "Would you like to eat something before going to sleep?"

"Yes, it's a good.. good... idea." Shifu smiled, but his smile suddenly disappeared to be replaced by a look of shock on his face as he suddenly felt something he hadn't been feeling since the _fight_... physical pain.

Po noticed the change in the red panda's expression, it disquieted him and he leaned down to look at the master in the dark red light from the lamp. "Master?.."

The red panda felt fear and utter disorientation, he looked at Po with wide eyes. "My legs... Something's wrong."

Po looked back at him in shock too; he quickly uncovered Shifu's legs and examined them carefully. They looked normal, as always. Meanwhile, Shifu's eyes closed tightly and he started to let out strange noises, trying not to scream. "Master, what happened?" Po cried, scared by what the red panda was doing.

"I don't know!" Shifu cried out. "It hurts! Inside my legs... and hands... it's everywhere!" he barely managed to stop himself from screaming.

Po stared at the red panda completely disoriented and helpless, just a moment ago Shifu felt well, what could happen? "Shifu.." he touched his paw, tears in his eyes, but it only made the red panda cry more and clench his teeth even more.

The small master managed to open his eyes and look at the panda one more time, his pain clearly visible. "Do someth..." he managed to whisper.

The panda had no idea what to do; he ran out of the chambers and through the terrace, the wind was now strong and there was no moonlight anymore, for the moon was covered by dark clouds. Po could only cry when he rushed into the barracks; "Tigress! Crane, Mantis!" he shouted.

His fast, noisy steps and voice alarmed the warriors, who were now going to sleep in their rooms, Tigress left her room immediately, the rest of the doors opened, and the Five looked at the panda. They were sure that somebody had just attacked the village.

"What happened?" the feline asked.

"Master Shifu..." Po began in a faltering voice, what made the warriors stare at him in shock. "He's dying!"

They didn't ask any questions, they rushed into the corridor, passing the panda and everyone ran carried by their fear through the door, straight towards the Jade Palace. It had started raining a few seconds before, but the warriors sped through the gates, arena and stairs so fast that their furs, scales or feathers were barely wet. They finally reached the chambers and ran into the Grand Master's bedroom without a word. Tigress knelt down beside the bed and touched carefully the red panda's forehead. "Master.."

Shifu was wet with cold sweat and although he didn't say anything, she saw that he was in pain when he opened his eyes and looked at her as if he saw her for the last time in his life. Crane, Viper, Mantis and Monkey stood there, not saying anything, they didn't know how to help, but they needed to be by their master's side in that moment. Po almost didn't know where he was and he had no idea what to do. He was in complete shock and he was feeling like bite into the wall.

Crane wiped his tear away. "I'll bring the doctor!" he offered and ran out of the room before anyone could stop him. He knew that probably he would never see Shifu alive again, but he also would never forgive himself if he didn't try to help him at the end of his life. He flew into the air quickly and dived towards the village in the pouring rain.

Tigress stroked Shifu's head, trying to calm him a little. "Tell me where it hurts." she asked.

He took a deep breath through his clenched jaws. "Evvr..wher... ins..side." he whispered, he couldn't find better words to describe the horrible pain radiating from within his body to his limbs and leaking through his skin.

She couldn't imagine the pain he was talking about, but she had a feeling that in the next few minutes it would not matter. And Tigress, in all her helplessness, lay down on the bed beside the red panda and just hugged him as carefully as she could. She knew that it would probably take the doctor too much time to make his way up the Thousand Stairs. She felt her tears running down her face quietly and she noticed that the fur on Shifu's face was already wet with his tears. She didn't know whether he was crying more because of the pain of fear.

Viper stared at the bed where the red panda was dying and when tears escaped her eyes, she felt Mantis's arms wrap around her. She embraced him with her tail and tried not to burst out crying more and louder.

Shifu had a feeling as if his body were decaying alive. He felt so bad that he wasn't sure what was happening. "Donn't leave.. me." he whispered his plea to Tigress.

The feline stroked his head again and snuggled closer to him. "I won't." she assured, feeling more tears flowing through her fur. "We all are here."

The next seconds and minutes of the pain and silence were passing slowly like hours, while the storm outside was raging ruthlessly. The warriors were listening to the thunders sounding in the distance and finally, they heard the steps they had been waiting for. The door to the Grand Master's bedroom opened and Mr. Li Chao appeared there along with Crane, both soaking wet. The warriors got to their feet and Tigress started to get out of the bed too. The red panda barely understood why, and he watched with his eyes wide from fear as his daughter was pulling herself away from him and suddenly he could see the ram standing in his bedroom.

"Bring me some candles." the doctor spoke to Po and Monkey, and they quickly exited the room, thankful that they at least could do anything.

"Master, doctor Li Chao has come here to examine you. We should leave the room now." Tigress said to the red panda, who just looked back at her with tears in his eyes in answer. "I'm not leaving you." she assured and turned around only when she saw that Shifu was calmer a little.

"Master Shifu says that something is causing pain in his body, he's not sure where exactly." the feline spoke to the doctor.

"Has he been eating too much lately? Something hard or spicy?" he asked.

"No, I believe not."

"And he doesn't suffer from any other disease than the paralysis?"

Tigress was frustrated with her lack of knowledge. "No, he's healthy.. almost. We have no idea what happened. He felt well today."

The ram nodded understandingly and then Po and Monkey entered the room again, carrying burning candles. They put them on the night table quickly, not to let the hot wax drip onto the floor or the bed.

"I have to examine him anyway." Li Chao said.

"We'll be back in a few minutes." Tigress said to Shifu and the warriors started to exit the chamber, leaving the red panda and the ram in the bedroom.

Po sat down on the floor against the wall in the corridor and buried his face in his arms. _I must have done something wrong..._ he thought, remembering everything he had done that day. _I shouldn't have kissed him. And l left him for so long all alone. It's my fault. It's always my fault._

The other warriors sat there and listened to the rain, which had lessened, but only a bit, they all wanted to ask one another "What do you think, will he make it?" but such words would only stick in their throats. Crane shook the water off his feathers and he stood there, whispering quietly with Monkey about something. Viper and Mantis sat closest to Shifu's door and tried to eavesdrop. Tigress was deep in her thoughts, she couldn't stop pacing the corridor back and forth.

It wasn't easy in the candle light, but the doctor examined Shifu's skin and claws very thoroughly; he ruled bedsores, infections, injuries or ingrowing claws out, but the master suffered with every touch on his skin and the doctor still couldn't find the reason of the red panda's suffering. He started to suspect the worst and left the room. "I have to ask you a question." he spoke to the warriors. "Unfortunately, it seems that the cause of Master Shifu's pain is really deep inside his body. Does anyone of you have any suspicions what it could be? He cannot tell me."

The warriors looked at one another and wondered. A quiet wave of whispers went through the corridor and Po was almost biting off his claws. _What if it's the blood clot Shifu was so afraid of? I should have come to help him do the evening ex..._

He couldn't finish that thought, because Monkey spoke.

"We don't know. Po really takes care of Shifu's hygiene, he always gives him small, light meals, he hasn't missed even one rehabilitation session, right, Po?"

The panda himself didn't know anything. That awful sense of guilt had returned and he couldn't imagine to admit there in front of everyone that he was the only one guilty of causing their master's paralysis, suffering and probably death. _But_ _maybe it's not that one missed session? Maybe it's something else?_

"Po?..." Mantis asked, everyone in the corridor stared at him anxiously.

"I don't know." Po said helplessly. "I don't know why he's suffering."

The doctor nodded with sadness, he looked around the warriors again and finally, he went back to the room. Because no one knew what was causing the pain, he needed to press every point on Shifu's already sore body and have the red panda answer where the pain was the worst, although he had hoped they would avoid that.

Po remembered that he still hadn't told Tigress something very important, something he had decided to tell her a few weeks ago. He walked up to the feline and much to her surprise, he embraced her. "I'm sorry for calling you irresponsible. I was so scared." he said and broke down in tears into her shoulder. The warriors watched them and they could at least for a short moment stop thinking of what was now happening in the nearest chamber.

She embraced him too, although no one had expected that. "You were right..." she said, staring at the rain now calm, the thunders were more quiet and very distant, only the panda's tears were wetting her neck.

So it was the end? Was it the death of their another master? Of someone who raised her? So she would be an orphan again? She couldn't stand that paradox - how could anybody die in such pain after so many weeks of total paralysis? Why would Shifu die when they had just managed to become a real family, why was he dying when it was raining after so many days of... Her eyes blinked. "It's the rain..."

"What?" Po asked and sniffled forcefully.

She pulled the panda away and grasped his arms. "Shifu's injured hip always hurts before rain. Maybe it's the reason we're looking for." Tigress explained, looking at the male with hope.

"You're right!" Crane agreed. Viper opened the door and the warriors plunged into the bedroom. Fortunately, it was only the beginning of the painful examination, but Shifu was so tired of the pain that he didn't care that everyone had just come in while he was almost naked.

"Doctor!" Tigress began. "The pain is probably caused by Shifu's broken hip."

The ram turned his head to her in the next second and looked at the feline shocked. "He has a broken hip?!"

"No!" she corrected herself. "It's an old injury from before twenty years. It always hurts him before rain."

The doctor sighed with relief. "So probably that's the reason." He put Shifu's nightshirt on the red panda's head and pulled it down, making the patient groan loudly with pain again.

"But Master has never complained about a pain so strong and extensive before." Tigress remarked, helping the ram dress the red panda.

"Bring me a cup of warm water." Mr. Li Chao asked the warriors.

Monkey went to the kitchen and meanwhile, the ram put a small jar of some white and gray powder on the night table. There were very strange characters on the jar, Tigress couldn't read them.

"I think that the paralysis somehow has caused the pain's radiation. I can't tell for sure." the doctor explained. "What's strange - it seems that his head doesn't hurt at all.." he added after a short while.

"So Master Shifu is not dying?" Mantis asked aloud in a hopeful tone, but this time Crane flicked the insect's head for Viper.

"I hope he's not." the doctor answered.

After a moment, Monkey returned from the kitchen and handed the ram the cup of warm water. The doctor put the cup onto the table and poured a small spoon of the powder into the water and stirred. "It's a very strong medicine, he will sleep for many hours after drinking it." he said. "Let's hope that it's really the injured hip." The doctor lifted Shifu's back and helped him drink the medicine. The taste was bitter and awful, but the red panda was tired so much that he didn't even care whether it was poison or a medicine; it had come to his mind that they would want to do him the last favour and end his suffering. When the cup was empty, the doctor laid the red panda carefully and covered him with the blanket.

The medicine was very strong indeed. Shifu could barely see and hear what was happening in the room soon after drinking that potion. He was afraid that those blurry images, voices and noises were the last thing he experienced in his life. After a while, the pain lessened, Shifu could finally take some shallow breaths, although his breath was very fast, he had never felt so exhausted before. Someone blew out the candles and it got dark, then there was a quiet _click_ of the door being closed. Did they leave him? "Tigress?" he whispered.

"I'm here, Master." he heard her reply somewhere very close to his ears and he realised that he was lying on his left side and she was beside him like before. "We are all here with you." Tigress assured, hugging the red panda.

Shifu felt calmer because he knew that she wouldn't lie to him. He was falling asleep not knowing if he would see the next day, but he felt safe. And he knew that if his life was ending that night, he was passing away in the safest place in the world - among his students he loved.

* * *

It was dark night and dark was also in the room. It had almost stopped raining a few hours ago and now the whole mountain was dead silent. The servants probably didn't even know what had been happening in the chambers that evening. Tigress couldn't fall asleep counting Shifu's breaths, which were now slow and quiet, and she still wept hoping that it was only that hip what had caused him so much pain.

Mantis and Viper had fallen asleep on Shifu's bed close to the wall, Crane slept now beside the night table, standing on his leg with his head tucked under his wing. Monkey slept on the floor close to the door and Po had fallen asleep sitting on the floor, with his arms and head on the bed. What the worries and guilt had done to his mind was more than he could stand and although he had been trying not to fall asleep, to help Shifu somehow in case he needed that, his body had given up.

Tigress didn't know what she would do if Shifu died that night. In that way. She looked around her friends sleeping in the room and she could feel only gratefulness. It never came to their mind to leave Master Shifu's side and go to sleep or to say that it was her father so she should stay with him and take care of him herself. She hugged the red panda tighter and kissed his head as if it could give him a bit of her strength. _I love you, Dad._

There was a long time of sleep ahead of him.

Very long.

* * *

**(A.N.) It's not easy to write when every one of my chapters may be the last one. I hope you forgive me if it happens.**


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